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1 

2 

3 

1  2  3 

4  5  6 


CaPyrighl  iS8<). 


PLATB  I. 


BLUE -GRAY   GNATCATCHER  AND   NEST,      [mat  ti*t.) 
(Polieptila  ctrruUa.) 


'  I 


1 


)\i 


Page  429. 


NESTS  AND  EGGS 


OF 


NORTH  AMl-RICAN  BIRDS 


nv 


OLIVER   DAVIE 


THE   FOURTH  EDITION 


INTRODUCriON  BY  J.  PARKKR  NORRIS. 


\. 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


BY 


THEODORE  JASPER,  A.M.,  M.D.  axb  W.  OTTO  E.MERSON 


Ml 


COLUMBUS 
HANi\    &   ADAIR 
^    1889 


^^'°15,1\2. 


Copyright,  18S9. 


"O!  why  has  worth  so  short  a  date, 
While  villains  lipen  gray  with  time." 

—  BurMs. 


DEDICATED  TO  THE  MEMORY 


OF 


LUCIUS  S.  WILLSON 


One  of  nature's  noblemen :  My  companion  in  many  a  woodland  stroll, 
whose  keen  eye  observed  and  gloried  in  the  charms  of  varied  pastoral 
scenes,  whose  listening  ear  heard  and  delighted  in  the  carroling  of 
feathered  songsters  and  the  cadence  of  murmuring  streams.  His 
ear  caught  the  music  of  breezes  as  they  wandered  through  the  boughs 
of  forest  trees,  and,  while  striking  the  tenderest  chords  on  their 
^olian  harps  of  russet-brown  leaves,  in  the  Autumn  of  1882,  they 
muttered  to  him  their  last  farewell,  and  whispered  something  like 
—  Eternity. 

The  Author. 


16799 


PREFACE  TO  THIRD  EDITION. 


THK  scopp  of  the  present  work  may  be  explained  in  a  few  words. 
As  in  former  editions,  the  text  consists  of  concise  descriptions  of 
nests  and  eggs  of  North  American  Birds.  The  term  'North  Ameri- 
can' in  this  connection  implies  all  the  territory  north  of  the  present 
Southern  United  States  boundary,  including  Greenland  and  the  penin- 
sula of  Lower  California,  with  the  islands  naturally  belonging  thereto. 
All  species  and  subspecies  have  been  excluded  from  this  list,  of 
which  no  authentic  account  of  either  their  nests  or  eggs  has  been  ob- 
tained. Additional  information  regarding  the  nesting  and  eggs  of 
various  species,  which  has  come  to  hand  while  the  work  was  in  pro- 
gress of  printing,  will  be  found  in  the  Appendix. 

A  Supplement  to  the  A.  O.  U.  Code  and  Check-List*  has  recently 
been  issued  containing  Additions,  Klini'nations  and  Changes  of  No- 
menclature. The  species  and  subspecies  that  have  been  interpo- 
lated, and  indicated  by  the  double  asterisk  (**),  are  repeated  in  the  Ap- 
pendix with  their  proper  numbers,  as  given  in  the  A.  O  U.  Supple- 
ment, and  additional  species  are  here  also  included,  of  which  a  reliable 
description  of  their  nests  and  eggs  was  obtained. 

All  stragglers  or  accidental  visitors  have  their  respective  numbers 
to  the  left  in  brackets.  For  an  explanation  of  the  authority  of  names, 
Canon  L.  (page  56)  of  the  A.  O.  U.  Code  may  be  quoted :  "  The 
authority  for  a  specific  or  subspecific  name  is  the  first  describer  of  the 
species  or  subspecies.  When  the  first  describer  of  the  species  or  sub- 
species is  aot  also  the  authority,  it  is  to  be  enclosed  in  parenthesis ;  e. 
g.,  Turdtis  migratorius  L.,  or  Merula  migratoria  (L)." 

The  nomenclature  followed  in  this  and  former  editions,  the  meas- 
urements used,  etc.,  are  stated  in  Note  on  page  I.  No  attempt 
has  been  made  to  describe  the  birds.  For  an  analytical  description  of 
these,  the  reader  is  referred  to  such  works  as  Coues'  Key  to  North 
American  Birdsf  or  Ridgway's  Manual.J     While  I  am  indebted  to  the 


^Supplement  to  the  Code  of  Nomenclature  and  Check  List  of  North  American  Birds  adopted  by  the 
American  Ornithologists'  Union.  Prepared  by  the  Committee  of  the  Union.  New  York:  American 
Ornithologists'  Union.    1889.     L.  S.  Foster,  Publisher,  85  Pine  street,  New  York,  N.  Y. 

t  Key  to  North  American  Ijirds.  Containing  a  concise  account  of  every  species  of  living  and  fossil 
bird  at  present  known  from  the  Continent  north  of  the  Mexican  and  United  States  boundary,  inclusive  of 
Greenland  and  Lower  California,  with  which  are  incorporated  General  Ornithology:  an  outline  of  the  struc- 
ture and  classification  of  birds;  and  Field  Ornithology:  a  manual  of  collecting,  preparing  and  preserving 
birds.  The  third  edition,  exhibiting  the  new  nomenclature  of  the  American  Ornithologists'  Union,  and 
including  descriptions  of  additional  species,  etc.  By  Elliott  Coues,  M.  A.,  M.  1).,  Ph.  D.,  etc.,  etc.  Pro- 
fusely illustrated.     Boston;  Estes  and  Lauriat.  1887. 

I A  Manual  of  North  American  Birds.  B^  Robert  Ridgway.  Ulustrated  by  404  outline  drawings  of 
the  generic  characters.    Philadelphia:    J.  B.  Lippincott  Company.    1887. 


16799 


books  and  periodical  literature  devoted  to  the  subject  for  information 
gleaned  from  them,  my  acknowledgments  are  especially  due  a  large 
number  of  active  field  ornithologists  and  oologists  who  have  kindly 
placed  at  my  disposal,  their  notes  containing  original  observations  on 
the  nesting  and  eggs  of  various  birds.  Others  have  furnished  descrip- 
tions of  nests  and  eggs  from  specimens  in  their  private  collections 
which,  in  many  cases,  were  otherwise  scarcely  obtainable. 

The  v/ords  "Egg  Check  List  and  Key"  have  been  dropped  from  the 
title-page  of  the  present  edition. 

OuvER  Davie. 
Columbus,  Ohio,  June  24,  1889. 


) 


ion 

rge 
dly 
on 
rip- 
ens 

the 


INTRODUCTION. 


I^HE  present  edition  of  this  work  is  greatly  enlarged  and  improved, 
and  the  effort  has  been  made  to  have  it  include  all  that  is  known 
regarding  the  nesting     i  all  species  of  North  American  Birds. 

Oology  has  made  rapid  strides  during  the  last  few  years,  and  eggs 
of  birds  which  were  almost  unknown  a  few  years  ago  are  now  com- 
paratively common.  This  is  principally  due  to  the  greater  number  of 
collectors  in  the  field,  and  to  the  intelligent  efforts  that  have  been 
made  to  secure  the  eggs  of  those  that  were  especially  desired. 

As  a  Science,  however,  it  has  much  to  contend  with.  An  animal, 
a  bird,  an  insect,  or  a  plant,  in  almost  every  instance,  will  carry  its 
identification  with  the  specimen.  It  is  not  always  so,  however,  with 
an  egg.  Those  of  many  species  so  closely  resemble  each  other  that 
they  are  often  worthless  unless  the  parent  bird  has  been  either  well 
seen  or  shot.  It  is  true  that  the  nest,  together  with  data  as  to  its  posi- 
tion, will  frequently  be  of  the  greatest  assistance  in  determining  to 
what  species  the  eggs  belong,  but  in  the  case  of  any  rare  and  little 
known  species,  the  only  satisfactory  identification  is  by  securing  the 
parent  bird. 

The  mere  comparison  of  eggs  will  not  answer  as  a  means  of  iden- 
tification. There  is  far  more  variation  in  the  size,  shape,  and  colora- 
tion of  eggs  of  the  same  species  than  most  persons  are  aware  of,  and 
to  pick  out  of  a  large  series  a  really  typical  set  of  some  kinds  is  a 
matter  of  considerable  difficulty. 

An  egg  is  a  difficult  object  to  properly  describe,  especially  as  it  is 
only  lately  that  any  intelligent  effort  has  been  made  to  set  forth  the 
ground  tints  or  the  markings. 

Concerning  the  number  of  eggs  laid  by  certain  species,  there  have 
been  more  mistakes  made  by  writers  than  about  any  other  subject  con- 
nected with  Oology.  Especially  has  this  been  the  case  with  the  J^ap- 
toreSy  and  in  this  work  the  effort  has  been  made  to  present  reliable  in- 
formation on  that  point. 

J.  P.  N. 


-^^f^wmm^m^mmm 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PLATE 

Blue-Gray  Gnatcatcher  and  Nest,          .......  I 

PiRD-RiLLBD  Grebes  and  Nest,             ........  II 

Tufted  Puffins  and  Nesting  Burrow,     .......  Ill 

Wood  Ducks  and  Nesting  Place,       .          .         .         .          .         .  ■       .         .  IV 

Flamingos  and  Nests,            .........  V 

Swallow-tailed  Kite  and  Nest,        ........  VI 

Burrowing  Owl  and  Nesting  Burrow,   .         .          .          .         .         .         .  VII 

Chimney  Swifts  and  Nests,        .         .          .          .          .          .          .          .       ^  ,  VIII 

Traill's  Flycatcher  and  Nest,     ........  IX 

Baltimore  Oriole  and  Nest,     .........  X 

Parula  Warbler  and  Nest,           ........  XI 

American  Dippers  (Water  Ouzels)  and  Nest,      ......  XII 

Nest  of  California  Bush-Tit,        ........  XIII 


r^i 


wmmmaBm 


NESTS  AND   EGGS 


OF 


North  American  Birds, 


Note.— The  nomenclature  followed  in  the  prftsent  edition  of  this  work  is  that  of  the  American 
Ornithologists'  Union  Code  and  Check-List.*  The  numbers  to  the  right  in  brackets  are  those  of  Professor 
Ridgway's  nomenclature,  which  were  used  in  former  editions.  The  measurements  of  the  eggs  are  given  in 
inches  and  hundredths,  except  in  such  cases  where  correspondents  have  furnished  the  measurements  in 
millimeters.  These  will  be  found  reduced  to  inches  and  hundredths  in  fcot  notes,  as  appears  in  the  text  of 
the  Western  Grebe. 


1.    Jlchmophorus  occidentalis  (Lawr.)    [729.] 

"Westem    Grebe. 

Habitat:    Western  North  America. 

This  is  the  largest  of  the  Grebes  in  North  America.  Its  distribu- 
tion extends  from  Mexico  and  Lower  California  on  the  south,  to  Wash- 
ington Territory  and  the  Red  River  region  on  the  north,  breeding 
nearly  throughout  this  entire  range. 

A  common  summer  resident  at  Utah  Lake  and  also  at  Lake  Mal- 
heur, in  Eastern  Oregon,  thence  eastward  to  the  extensive  marshes  of 
Shoal  Lake,  in  Manitoba,  where  it  breeds  abundantly. 

Mr.  Edward  Stebbins  found  it  breeding  in  an  arm  of  Devils  Lake, 
Dakota,  in  the  first  part  of  June,  at  which  time  all  the  eggs  were  more 
or  less  incubated.  He  estimates  the  number  of  nests  observed  to  be 
about  two  hundred  in  an  area  of  an  acre  and  a  half.  They  were  built 
in  water  three  or  four  feet  deep,  and  were  made  of  reeds  and  sedges 
matted  together  and  fa:itened  to  the  tall,  rank  grass,  so  as  to  float  on 
the  surface. 

It  is  a  remarkable  fact  that  the  Grebes  cover  their  nests  with 


''■  The  Code  of  Nomenclature  and  Check-List  of  North  American  Birds  adopted  by  the  American  Orni- 
thologists' Union.  Being  the  report  of  the  Committee  of  the  Union  on  CUisification  and  Nomenclature. 
New  York:    American  Ornithologists'  Union,  1880. 


•SI 


NESTS   AND   EGGS  OF 

weeds  and  other  vegetable  matter  before  leaving  them,  so  that  incuba- 
tion may  continue  during  their  absence. 

Only  a  few  of  the  nests  observed  by  Mr.  Stebbins  were  covered ; 
vhe  tall  grass  obstructed  the  view  of  the  birds,  so  that  when  approached 
they  would  hurriedly  slip  off  the  nests,  and  leave  the  eggs  exposed. 
The  only  birds  seen  were  those  in  the  vicinity  of  the  nests,  and  they 
swam  away  with  their  heads  and  necks  above  water,  making  a  kind  of 
cackling  noise.  In  their  habits  they  resemble  the  Loon,  diving  or  swim- 
ming under  water  with  the  greatest  ease ;  and,  when  on  the  "wing,  they 
fly  with  wonderful  rapidity  for  birds  of  their  nature. 

The  eggs  of  this  species  are  from  two  to  five  in  number,  elliptical 
oval  in  shape,  very  pale  bluish  green  in  color ;  and,  like  all  Grebes' 
eggs,  the  surface  is  stained  a  light  brown,  or  very  much  soiled  by  con- 
tact with  the  decomposed  vegetable  matter  of  the  nests. 

Mr.  Walter  E.  Bryant,  of  Oakland,  California,  has  a  set  of  five 
eggs  in  his  collection,  which  were  taken  at  Washoe  Lake,  Nevada,  in 
the  latter  part  of  May.  These  measure  as  follows:  59x39,  63x39, 
58.5  X  38, 60  X  38,  59  X  39.5  mm.*  Three  sets  in  my  collection,  two  of  five 
eggs  and  one  of  four,  taken  by  Mr.  Stebbins,  measure:  2.32x1.58, 
2.40x1.57,  2.50x1.53,  2.46x1.58,  2.48x1.60;  2.14x1.48,  2.27x1.54, 
2.30x1.63,  2.29x1.58,  2.28x1.53;  2.44x1.52,  2.37x1.47,  2.52x1.44, 
2.45x1.47. 

The  bird  known  as  Clark's  Grebef  is  probably  the  female  of  ^. 
occidentalis.X 


2.    Colymbus  holboBllii    (Reinh.)    [731.] 

HolbfBU's  Grebe. 

Hab.    North  America  at  large,  including  Greenland.    Also  Eastern  Siberia,  and  southward  to  Japan. 
Breeds  in  high  latitudes,  migrating  south  in  winter. 

In  the  large  bodies  of  water,  the  little  bayous  and  sloughs,  rivers 
and  grassy  pools  from  Northern  Maine  to  Greenland ;  from  the  swamps 
of  the  Red  River  Valley  of  the  North,  and  again,  westerly  and  north- 
ward to  the  margins  of  the  placid  lakes  that  border  the  great  Yukon 
River  in  Alaska,  and  beyond,  this  Grebe  makes  its  summer  home.§ 

In  the  Fur  Countries  it  breeds  in  lonely  and  retired  places,  such 
as  in  the  tussocks  of  wiry  grass  that  border  the  Waterhen  River  and 
Long  Lake  in  Manitoba.  It  is  said  to  breed  abundantly  at  these  places, 
and  often  where  it  is  quite  common  during  the  breeding  season,  its 

('2.32x1.54, 2.48x1.54,  2.30x1.50,  2.36x1.50,  2,32x1.50. 
fPlaced  in  the  '•  Hypothetical  List"  of  the  A.  O.  U.  Check-List. 

XCf.  Henshaw,  Bull.  Nutt.  Orn.  Club,  VI,  1881,  pp.  214-218;    B.  B.  and  R..  Watei  Birds  N.  Am.,  II,  p. 
428;  Bryant,  Auk.,  II,  pp.  31^-314. 

\  The  summer  home  of  a  bird  is  generally  understood  to  be  its  breeding  place. 


NORTH   AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


presence  may  not  be  detected  after  many  weeks  stay  about  its  haunts. 

The  nest  is  built  similar  to  that  of  the  common  Dabchick,  and  like 
other  Grebes  this  species  covers  its  eggs  before  leaving  them  with  grass 
and  vegetable  matter  from  the  bottom  of  the  nest. 

A  set  of  three  eggs,  collected  by  H.  A.  Wallace,  in  the  marshes 
bordering  Long  Lake  in  Manitoba,  exhibit  the  following  dimensions : 
2.15x1.20,  2.15x1.22,  2.17x1.14.  Their  color  is  a  dull  white,  with  the 
usual  soiled  surface. 

Eggs  in  a  large  series  vary  from  a  whitish  to  a  greenish  white,  and 
there  is  also  a  great  variation  in  size,  as  they  measure  from  2.05  to  2.55 
long  by  1.20  to  1.50  broad.  The  number  of  eggs  laid  by  this  species 
ranges  from  two  to  five,  and  sometimes  seven. 

[732-] 


Hab. 


3.    Colymbus  auritus    Linn. 

Horned  Qrebe. 

Northern  Hemisphere.     Breeds  from  the  Northern  United  States  northward. 


The  Horned  Grebe  is  a  generally  diffused  and  an  abundant  species 
throughout  North  America.  It  is  not  uncommon  in  all  suitable  places, 
during  the  summer  months,  along  the  margins  of  the  crystal  lakes  and 
rivers  of  Michigan,  Wisconsin  and  Minnesota,  and  it  is  recorded  as 
breeding  sparingly  in  Northwestern  Illinois.  Mr.  Frank  W.  Langdon 
makes  note  of  its  supposed  nesting  in  Ottawa  county,  Ohio.*  It  breeds 
commonly  in  the  grass-bordered  lakes  of  the  Fur  Countries. 

Dr.  Coues  says :  "  I  found  it  breeding  at  various  points  in  Northern 
Dakota,  as  along  the  Red  River,  in  the  prairie  sloughs,  with  Coots, 
Phalaropes,  and  various  Ducks,  and  in  pools  about  the  base  of  Turtle 
Mountain  in  company  with  P.  californicus  and  the  Dabchick."t 

Mr.  Thomas  Mcllwraith  records  it  breeding  in  all  suitable  places 
throughout  Ontario,  "  notably  at  St.  Clair  Flats."t 

A  curious  habit  of  this  and  other  Grebes  is  that  of  quietly  sinking 
beneath  the  surface  of  the  water,  or,  as  it  were,  like  a  snowflake,  melt- 
ing away  with  scarcely  a  ripple. 

The  nest  of  the  Horned  Grebe,  like  all  others  of  the  family,  is 
simply  a  floating  mass  of  decayed  vegetation  fastened  to  the  rushes 
and  reeds  in  shallow  water.  The  eggs  are  from  two  to  seven  in  num- 
ber, four  being  the  usual  nest  complement ;  their  shape  is  more  of  an 
oval  form  than  is  generally  noticeable  in  the  eggs  of  the  Grebes ;  they 

*  Summer  Birds  of  a  Northern  Ohio  Marsh:  Journal  of  the  Cincinnati  Society  of  Natural  History. 
Vol.  Ill,  pp.  220-232. 

t  Birds  of  the  Northwest,  p.  732. 

X  The  Birds  of  Ontario,  being  a  list  of  Birds  observed  in  the  Province  of  Ontario,  with  an  Account  of 
their  Habits.  Distribution,  Nests,  Eggs,  etc.  By  Thomas  Mcllwraith,  Superintendent  of  the  Ontario  Dis- 
trict for  the  Migration  Committee  of  the  American  Ornithologists'  Union.  Published  by  the  Hamilton  Asso- 
ciation.    Hamilton:  A.  Lawson  &  Co., Printers.     1880. 


% 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


are  bluish-white  in  color,  with  the  usual  discolorations  on  the  surface. 
They  vary  from  1.60  to  1.85  in  length,  and  from  i.io  to  1.20  in 
breadth. 

4.    Colymbus  nigricollls  californicus    (Heerm.)    [733a.] 

Axnerioan  Eared  Grebe. 

Hab.    Northern  and  Western  North  America,  from  the  Mississippi  Valley  westward. 

In  most  of  the  States  and  Territories  west  of  the  Mississippi 
River,  this  species  breeds  more  or  less  abundantly  in  suitable  locali- 
ties, and  its  breeding  range  is  almost  as  extensive  as  its  habitat. 

It  has  been  found  nesting  in  the  grassy  lagoons  of  Texas,  in  the 
fresh  water  ponds  of  California,  the  pools  and  sloughs  of  Eastern 
Oregon,  the  alkali  lakes  of  Colorado,  Kansas,  and  the  Territory  of 
Wyoming,  in  the  little  inlets  of  the  larger  bodies  of  water  in  Dakota 
and  Minnesota,  thence  northward  to  the  inland  waters  of  British 
America.  This  Grebe,  in  common  with  the  others,  is  justly  noted  for 
its  expertness  in  diving  and  swimming,  and,  like  all  true  divers,  it  is 
awkward  on  land.  From  the  posterior  position  of  the  legs  these  birds 
stand  fllmost  upright,  so  that  they  have  more  the  air  of  a  small  kan- 
garoo than  of  a  bird. 

Its  general  breeding  habits  are  like  others  of  the  family,  nesting, 
however,  in  more  open  situations,  in  flags  and  rushes,  or  upon  a  float- 
ing foundation  in  shallow  water.  In  the  absence  of  the  bird  the  eggs 
are  covered  with  debris.  The  habit  of  covering  the  eggs  among  the 
Grebes  is  either  for  the  purpose  of  concealing  them  from  enemies, 
such  as  Hawks  and  Gulls,  or  that  upon  the  artificial  heat,  pro- 
duced by  the  decayed  vegetation,  they  are  more  or  less  dependent  for 
the  hatching  of  their  eggs.  When  thus  covered,  the  birds  are  known 
to  remain  away  from  their  nests  during  the  entire  daytime.  The  eggs 
of  this  species  are  four  to  eight  in  number,  and  in  Minnesota,  Dakota 
and  Wyoming,  they  are  deposited  in  the  first  part  of  June.  They  are 
elongated  in  shape,  bluish  white  in  color,  but  soon  become  soiled  by 
the  wet  material  of  the  nest.  The  measurement  of  eight  eggs,  collected 
in  the  marshes  of  Red  Lake,  Minnesota,  on  the  7th  of  June,  are  as 
follows:  1.79x1.21,  1.75x1.20,  1.73x1.25,  1. 70 XI. 15,  1.80 X  1.23,  1.79 
X  1.25,  1-73  X  1.20,  and  1.73  x  1.18.  A  set  of  four  eggs  from  Dakota  has 
a  decidedly  bufi"  ground  color  instead  of  the  usual  bluish  white. 

5.    Colymbus  dominicus  Linn    [734-] 

St.  Domingo  Grebe. 

Hab.    Texas  and  Southern  California,  southward  through  Tropical  America  to  Paraguay,  including  the 
West  Indies. 

Here  is  the  smallest  of  our  Grebes.    It  has  a  breeding  range  ex- 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


le  surface, 
to  1.20  in 


Mississippi 
>le  locali- 
:at. 

as,  in  the 
Eastern 
ritory  of 
I  Dakota 
r  British 
loted  for 
'ers,  it  is 
ise  birds 
all  kan- 

nesting, 
a  float- 
he  eggs 
)ng  the 
nemies, 
tt,   pro- 
leut  for 
known 
le  eggs 
Dakota 
ley  are 
led  by 
Hected 
are  as 

5.  1-79 
ta  has 


ding  the 

e  ex- 


tending from  tt  e  Valley  of  the  Rio  Grande  southward  into  the  tropical 
regions,  nesting  in  the  wild  herbage  of  the  lakes  and  ponds  of  Mexico 
and  Central  America,  in  many  of  the  islands  of  the  West  Indies,  and 
the  sloughs  of  th>i  immense  level,  tropical  plains  and  pampas  of  South 
America.  Its  entire  life  is  spent  in  the  water,  and  it  possesses  the  same 
aquatic  habits  peculiar  to  all  the  Grebes. 

Dr.  James  C.  Merrill  was  the  first  to  establish  the  claim  of  this 
species  as  belonging  to  our  North  American  fauna.  He  found  it  a 
rather  common  resident  in  Southwestern  Texas.  On  May  i6,  1877,  he 
found  several  nests,  undoubtedly  belonging  to  this  species,  in  a  salt 
marsh  a  few  miles  from  Fort  Brown.  *'  They  were  made  of  water 
plants  and  pieces  of  reeds  slightly  fastened  to  one  or  two  tule  stalks, 
and  forming  a  wet,  floating  mass.     No  eggs  were  obtained."* 

The  eggs  are  described  as  a  "  pale,  chalky,  greenish  white,"  with 
the  usual  discolorations.  They  vary  in  size  from  1.25  to  1.50  long  by 
.85  to  1. 00  broad. 

6.    Podilymbus  podiceps    (Linn.)    [735.] 

Pied-bllled  Grebe. 

Hab.    British  Provinces  southward  to  Brazil,  Buenos  Ayres,  and  Chili,  including  the  West  Indies  and 
the  Bermudas,  breeding  nearly  throughout  its  range. 

Thick-billed  and  Carolina  Grebe,  Pied-bill  Dabchick,  Dipper, 
Water-witch,  "Devil-diver,"  and  *' Hell-diver"  are  some  of  the  names 
applied  to  this  Grebe.  Most  of  these  refer  to  its  wonderful  powers  of 
disappearance  under  water,  and  by  one  or  more  of  these  names  it  is 
known  to  every  boy  who  has  wandered  with  a  gun  along  any  of  our 
creeks  and  rivers.     It  is  a  common  bird  throughout  its  range. 

The  nest  of  the  Dabchick  is  a  little  floating  island  of  decaying 
rushes,  reeds  or  grass,  mixed  with  mud  and  debris  brought  up  from 
the  bottom  of  the  slough  or  reedy  pool  in  which  it  is  built.  The 
structure  is  fastened  to  the  flags  and  aquatic  plants ;  these  are  pulled 
down  and  piled  upon  each  other  till  the  nest  rises  two  or  three  inches 
above  the  water. 

Mr.  A.  M.  Shields  informs  me  that  in  the  neighborhood  of  Los 
Angeles,  Cal.,  this  species  is  very  abundant — any  lake  or  pond  without 
the  presence  of  two  or  three  little  Grebes  seems  very  barren  indeed. 
It  nests  about  the  middle  of  May. 

The  number  of  eggs  laid  by  this  species  ranges  from  six  to  nine ; 
the  complement,  however,  is  usually  seven,  and  their  average  size  is 

*  Notes  on  the  Ornithology  of  Southern  Texas,  being  a  list  of  Birds  observed  in  the  vicinity  of  Fort 
Brown,  Texas,  from  February,  1876,  to  June,  1878.  By  James  C.  Merrill,  Assistant  Surgeon  U.  S.  Army. 
Proceedings  of  the  United  States  National  Museum.    Vol.  I,  pp.  118-173. 


6 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


1.72  X  1. 1 7.     In  Kansas,  in  the  latter  part  of  May,  a  number  of  nests 
were  found  containing  from  five  to  ten  eggs  each.* 

This  species,  like  other  Grebes,  during  the  process  of  incubation, 
conceals  its  eggs  with  a  covering  of  weeds  and  other  vegetable  material 
during  the  day,  *'  and  they  are  uncovered  at  dusk  by  the  bird,  who  in- 
cubates them  until  the  morning  sun  relieves  her  of  her  task." 

7.    Urinator  imber    (Gunn.)    [736.] 

liOon. 

Hab.    Northern  part  of  Northern  Hemisphere.     In  North  America  breeds  from  the  Northern  States 
northward ;  ranges  in  winter  south  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 

The  Loons  ate  large,  heavy  birds,  with  flattened  bodies  and  rather 
long  necks ;  the  legs  are  placed  far  back  in  the  body,  giving  them  great 
propelling  power  in  the  water.  They  are  the  most  expert  of  all  divers, 
disappearing  beneath  the  water  at  the  flash  of  a  gun. 

In  North  America  the  present  species  is  found  from  the  Atlantic 
to  the  Pacific,  breeding  from  about  latitude  42°  northward  within  the 
Arctic  circle.  Mr.  Edson  A.  McMillan  informs  me  that  they  are  quite 
common  in  the  lakes  of  the  Adirondack  mountain  region  during  the 
breeding  season,  which  is  about  the  first  part  of  June.  Here  they 
breed  on  the  same  islands  occupied  as  breeding  grounds  by  the  Amer- 
ican Herring  Gull,  Larus  argentatus  smithsonianus .  He  says  that  of 
nine  difierent  Loons'  nests  which  he  examined,  none  of  them  con- 
tained material  of  any  kind ;  they  were  simply  hollows  in  the  sand 
where  the  eggs  were  deposited.  In  Maine,  Michigan  and  Wisconsin 
and  other  localities  the  birds  are  known  to  build  a  roughly-formed 
hollow  of  sticks,  weeds,  sod  and  water  grass. 

The  Loon's  eggs  are  very  dark-looking,  of  an  olivaceous  brown, 
sometimes  olivaceous  drab,  spotted  and  blotched  with  a  very  dark 
brown.  In  shape  they  are  narrowly  oval,  occasionally  very  much 
lengthened.  The  number  laid  is  two,  sometimes  three ;  in  size  they 
vary  from  3.40  to  3.90  long  by  2.10  to  2.38  broad.  Two  eggs  in  my 
possession  collected  by  Mr.  McMillan  measure  3.63  x  2.26,  3.44  x  2.25. 


8. 


[737-] 


I  i 


Urinator  adamsii  (Gray). 

Tello'w-'billed  Loon. 

Hab,  Arctic  America,  west  of  Hudson's  Bay.    Casual  in  Northern  Europe  and  Asia. 

This  species  is  also  known  as  the  White-billed  Loon.  The  bill  is 
of  a  light  yellowish  color,  and  the  general  dimensions  of  the  bird  are 
greater  than  those  of  the  last  species.  It  breeds  in  the  large  lakes  and 
ponds  west  of  Hudson's  Bay,  northward  to  the  shores  of  the  Arctic 

♦"Ornithologist  and  Oologist,"  a  monthly  magazine  devoted  to  the  study  of  Birds,  their  Nesti  and 
Eggs.    Volume  X,  p.  165.    Published  by  Frank  B.  Webster,  Boston,  Mass. 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS.  7 

Ocean.  In  the  large  bodies  of  waters  throughout  Alaska  it  is  said  to 
be  common,  where  its  melancholy  cry  can  be  heard  during  the  breed- 
ing season.  In  its  nesting  and  general  habits  it  resembles  the  com- 
mon Loon,  and  the  eggs  are  said  to  be  indistinguishable  except  in 
their  size,  which,  like  the  bird,  average  a  little  larger. 

9.     Urinator  arcticus  (Linn).     [738.] 

Black-throated  Loon. 

Hab.  Northern  part  of  the  Northern  Hemisphere.  In  North  America  migrating  south  in  winter  to  the 
Northern  States. 

The  Black-throated  Diver  is  a  bird  which  is  more  or  less  common 
in  the  northern  regions  of  the  globe.  It  breeds  commonly  throughout 
the  interior  of  Norway  and  Sweden,  and  far  up  into  Lapland.  In  most 
parts  of  the  British  Islands  this  Loon  is  considered  of  rare  occurrence. 
On  the  little  islands  of  the  fresh  water  lochs,  from  the  middle  portion 
of  Scotland  northward  to  the  islands  beyond  John  O'Groat's  House  — 
the  Orkeny  and  Shetland  —  this  species  is  known  to  breed  as  well  as 
on  the  Hebrides  on  the  west  coast. 

In  North  America  it  occurs  as  far  south  as  the  United  States.  On 
the  Pacific   coast  it  is  replaced  by  the  next  species,  U.  pacificus. 

Like  all  the  Loons,  its  home  is  on  the  water ;  it  is  awkward  and 
almost  helpless  on  land.  Its  progress  under  water  has  been  estimated 
to  be  not  less  than  eight  miles  an  hour. 

The  Black-throated  Loon  constructs  its  nest  of  a  small  quantity 
of  herbage,  in  which  is  formed  a  hollow,  on  the  sandy  banks  of  small 
islands  in  lakes.  A  set  of  two  eggs  of  this  species  collected  June  5, 
1884,  in  Iceland,  is  in  the  collection  of  J.  Parker  Norris.  These  are 
"  hair  brown  "  in  color,  marked  with  small  spots  of  olive.  They  meas- 
ure, respectively,  3.40  x  2.11,  3.37  x  2. 15. 

10.    Urinator  pacificus  (Lawr.)    [739.] 

Paoiflo  I<oon. 

Hab.     Pacific  Coast  of  North  America,  south  in  winter  to  Cape  St.  Lucas  and  Guadalupe  Island. 

As  its  name  implies,  the  Pacific  Diver  is  confined  to  the  West,  and 
the  above  habitat  clearly  indicates  its  range. 

It  breeds  abundantly  in  the  Arctic  regions  —  on  the  islands  in  the 
lakes  and  bays  of  Alaska  —  in  the  marshes  of  the  Yukon  River,  and  it 
has  been  found  breeding  in  considerable  numbers  at  Fort  Anderson. 
It  breeds  commonly  in  the  innumerable  lakes  and  ponds  of  the  Nearer 
Islands,  Alaska.* 

The  nest  of  this  Loon  is  made  in  a  decayed  mass  of  vegetation 

*  This  group  forms  the  westernmost  portion  of  the  Aleutian  chain ;  they  are  so  designated  because 
they  lie  nearest  the  Asiatic  Coast. 


8 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


similar  to  a  Grebe's  nest,  and  often  it  is  a  mere  hole  in  the  turf  in 
which  the  eggs  are  deposited.  Sometimes  the  depression  is  found  to 
be  scantily  lined  with  feathers.  One  hundred  and  five  nests  observed 
by  Mr.  MacFarlane,  in  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Anderson,  contained  no 
more  than  two  eggs  each.*  The  eggs  are  described  as  having  a 
ground  color,  varying  from  a  deep  umber  to  a  pale  greenish-gray  and 
in  size  measuring  from  2.95  to  3.25  long  by  1.85  to  2.00  in  breadth. 

11.  Urinator  lumme  (Gunn.)    [740.] 

Red-throatod  lioon. 

Hab.  Northern  part  of  Northern  Hemisphere,  migrating  southward  in  winter  nearly  across  the  (Jnited 
SUtes. 

This  little  lyoon  breeds  in  high  latitudes.  It  is  also  a  bird  of  the 
Old  World,  where  its  breeding  range  is  about  the  same  as  that  of 
the  Black-throated  Diver.  It  is  not  an  uncommon  summer  resident  of 
New  Brunswick,  and  it  breeds  in  company  with  the  common  Loon  in 
the  Province  of  Quebec,  Canada,  on  the  islands  of  the  St.  Lawrence 
River  and  Gulf.  In  the  large  lakes  and  ponds  of  Manitoba  it  is  a  tol- 
erably common  summer  resident,  and  particularly  in  the  Red  River 
valley.  From  these  places  northward  to  Alaska,  and  in  the  Arctic 
regions  it  breeds  more  or  less  abundantly  in  all  suitable  places. 

In  Labrador  it  breeds  in  the  first  part  of  June ;  in  Hudson  Strait 
eggs  may  be  collected  from  the  middle  of  June  to  the  middle  of  July. 

Mr.  M.  Abbott  Frazar  says  that  on  the  islands  and  along  the  coast 
of  Labrador  this  species  nests  on  the  edge  of  the  smaller  ponds,  these 
often  being  mere  pools  of  surface  water.  The  birds  make  no  nest,  but 
deposit  their  eggs  in  a  bare  hollow  space  on  the  ground,  usually  not 
over  one  foot  from  the  water's  edge.f  Two  eggs  are  laid,  and  the  color 
varies  from  deep  reddish-brown  to  grayish-green,  sparsely  spotted  with 
brownish-black.  In  size  they  vary  from  2.65  to  3.00  long  by  1.70  to 
1.85  broad.  A  set  of  two  eggs  collected  by  J.  N.  McFadden,  on 
Resolution  Island,  Hudson  Strait,  June  18,  measure  2.74  x  1.78, 
2.72  X  1.81. 

12.  Lunda  cirrhata  Pall.    [745.] 

Tufted  Puffin. 

Hab.  Coasts  and  islands  of  the  North  Pacific,  from  California  to  Alaska,  and  from  Japan  to  Bering's 
Strait.    Accidental  on  the  coast  of  Maine. 

A  curious  bird  with  a  parrot-like  bill,  hence  the  name  of  Sea  Par- 
rot which  is  applied  to  all  the  Puffins.  This  species  breeds  on  the  isl- 
ands along  the  Pacific  coast,  from  the  Farallons  northward  to  the 
islands  of  Bering  Sea.     Its  general  color  is  black,  with  a  conspicuous 

'*  Baird,  Brewer  and  Ridgway's  Water  Birds,  Vol.  II,  p.  457. 
t  Ornithologist  and  Oologist,  Vol.  XII,  p.  2. 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


9 


white  face  mask;  long,  floating  yellow  ear-tufts,  "bent  like  the  horns 
of  a  ram  " ;  the  legs  are  red,  the  beak  is  red  and  green,  making  alto- 
gether a  grotesque  looking  creature. 

The  birds  deposit  their  single  egg  in  crevices  of  rocks ;  a  burrow 
is  often  dug  in  the  guano,  which  has  for  ages  accumulated  on  these 
islands ;  sometimes  a  few  pieces  of  weeds  are  found  in  the  bottom  of 
the  cavity,  but  often  no  material  is  used  as  a  nest  lining. 

Mr.  W.  O.  Emerson,  who  has  collected  extensively  on  the  Faral- 
lone  Islands,  says  that  one  of  the  birds  may  always  be  seen  at  the 
entrance  of  their  nesting  places  on  guard  duty ;  they  are  among  the 
most  noisy  of  the  sea  birds,  always  screaming  while  out  on  the  rocks, 
and  constantly  "growling"  while  in  their  burrows.  Fresh  eggs  may 
be  collected  in  the  middle  of  June.  Mr.  Emerson  informs  me  that  he 
has  taken  fresh  eggs  and  young  birds  in  the  latter  part  of  July.  One 
pair  will  rear  two  or  three  birds  in  a  season. 

The  eggs  have  a  ground  color  varying  from  a  pure  white  to  a 
yellowish  buff.  Some  have  a  circle  of  lilac  markings  about  one  or 
both  ends.  Eggs  will  be  found  in  a  large  series  having  tan  colored 
spots  over  the  entire  surface  ;  others  have  lines  and  zigzag  markings, 
while  some  seem  to  be  immaculate,  but  upon  close  examination  deep- 
lying  shell  markings  are  noticeable.  Four  eggs  measure  2.87x1.88, 
2.83  X  1.86,  2.84  X  1.86,  2.82  x  1,89. 

In  a  paper  entitled  **  Birds  and  Eggs  from  the  Farallon  Islands,"* 
based  principally  upon  Mr.  Emerson's  **  matchless  collection  of  birds 
and  eggs,  and  his  notes  regarding  them,"  the  author,  Mr.  Wa'  er  E. 
Bryant,  says :  "  I  have  carefully  measured  fifty  puffin's  eggs,  which 
average  70.2  x  48.4  mm.  f  The  individual  proportions  of  eight  eggs, 
showing  the  greatest  and  smallest  extremes  of  both  diameter,  are 
81x50,  77x48,74x50,  71.5x51,  71x46,  65.5x45,  64^50,63.5x50 
mm."t 

13.    Fratercula  arctica  (Linn.)    [743] 

Puffin. 

Hab.    Coasts  and  islands  of  the  North  Atlantic.     Breeding  on  the  North  American  coast  from  the  Bay 
of  Fundy  northward,  south  in  winter  to  Long  Island,  and  casually  further. 

The  Common  Puffin  is  found  exclusively  in  the  waters  of  the 
Atlantic,  breeding  on  the  eastern  coast  of  North  America  from  Maine 
to  Greenland.  In  Europe  it  breeds  from  Great  Britain  to  the  northern 
coast  of  Norway. 

The  nest  is  made  in  a  burrow  in  the  earth,  dug  by  the  birds.  Far 
north  thousands  breed  in  the  fissures  of  rocky  cliffs  and  in  the  sides  of 

'"  Read  before  the  California  Academy  of  Sciences,  December  19, 1887. 

1 2.78x1.90. 

X  3.19x1.97.  3.03x1.89,  2.91x1.97,  2.81x2.01,  !i,.79xl.81,  2.58x1.77,  2.66x1.97,  2.60x1.97. 


10 


NESTS  AND   EGGS  OF 


bluffs ;  two  birds  are  often  found  sitting,  each  on  its  egg,  in  the  same 
burrow.  The  eggs  are  deposited  late  in  June  and  in  July.  Mr.  Frazar 
found  these  birds  abundant  on  the  coast  of  Labrador.  An  island  of 
two  or  three  hundred  acres  in  extent  was  covered  with  Puffin  burrows ; 
about  a  thousand  nests  examined  contained  one  egg  each,  while  in  a 
dozen  others  there  were  but  two  eggs  to  a  nest.  The  greater  part 
of  these  were  plain,  dull  white;  others  were  more  or  less  thickly 
spotted,  with  obscure  chocolate  and  reddish-brown  markings ;  a  num- 
ber had  distinct  brown  spots,  blotches  and  tracings,  such  as  are  seen  in 
the  Murre  eggs.*  The  sizes  range  from  2.25  to  2.85  in  length  by  1.45 
to  1.85  in  breadth. 


Ida. 


[743«] 


Fratercula  arctlca  glacialia  (Temm.) 

LarKe-billed  Puffin. 

Hab.    Coasts  and  islands  of  the  Arctic  Ocean,  from  Spitzbergen  to  Baffin's  Bay. 

This  bird  is  like  the  last,  but  greater  in  size,  the  bill  larger  and 
differently  shaped.  It  breeds  in  the  far  north,  on  the  islands  of  Baffin's 
Bay  and  along  the  coasts  of  Greenland  —  nesting  in  the  same  manner 
as  arctica.  The  eggs  are  not  distinguishable.  According  to  Prof. 
Ridgway  they  average  larger  than  F.  arctica,^ 

14.  Pratercala  corniculata  (Naum.)    [744.] 

Honied  Puffin. 

Hab.  Coasts  and  islands  of  the  North  Pacific,  from  Kurite  Island*  to  Sitka. 

The  Horned  Puffin  breeds  on  the  bleak  rocky  islands  of 
the  polar  seas.  It  is  found  along  the  coast  of  Alaska,  is  common  in 
the  Northern  Pacific  Ocean  and  on  nearly  all  the  islands  of  Behring's 
Sea.  It  takes  its  name  from  the  slender,  upright  horns  of  the  upper 
eye-lids.  The  term  "horns,"  however,  is  regarded  by  some  as  mis- 
leading. In  the  living  bird  the  horns  are  said  to  be  only  soft,  flexible 
caruncles  or  wattles.  The  nest-holes  of  this  species  are  in  the  deep, 
narrow  interstices  of  rocks,  seldom  within  the  reach  of  a  man's  arm, 
and,  except  in  the  absence  of  the  bird,  it  is  hazardous  to  attempt  to 
rob  the  nest.  Like  the  Tufted  Puffin,  Limda  cirrhata  it  often  inflicts  a 
severe  wound  with  its  powerful  bill.  The  nest  cavities  are  lined  with 
grass,  moss,  etc.  A  single  egg  is  laid,  which  is  oblong-oval  in  shape, 
pure  white  in  color  and  the  shell  is  rough,  measuring  2.74  x  1.84. 

15.  Cerorhinca  monocerata  (Pall.)    [746.] 

Rhinoceros  Anklet. 

Hab.  coasts  and  islands  of  the  North  Pacific,  breeding  southward  to  California  and  Japan;  in  winter, 
south  to  Lower  California. 

On  the  islands  of  the  Pacific  coast,  from  Washington  Territory 


*  Ornithologist  and  Oologist.    Vol.  XII,  pp.  2-3. 
t  Manual  North  American  Birds,  p.  11. 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


11 


northward,  the  Horned-billed  Auk  is  said  to  breed  in  abundance.  Eggs 
of  this  species  have  been  collected  on  the  Farallones,  and  the  bird  was 
thought  to  breed  on  the  islands  farther  south.  It  is  nocturnal  in  its 
habits,  remaining  throughout  the  daytime  in  crevices  among  the  rocks 
and  burrows  in  the  ground,  where  it  deposits  its  single  egg.  This  is 
similar  to  the  egg  of  the  Horned  Puffin — dull,  chalky  white,  with  dis- 
colorations  and  faint  shell  markings  of  obscure  purplish-gray.  Sizes 
range  from  2.65  to  2.90  lon^  by  1.80  to  1.90  broad. 

16.    Ptychoramphus  aleuticns  (Pall.)    [751.] 

CaHln'a  Anklet. 

Hab.  Pacific  coaat  of  North  America,  from  the  Aleutian  Islandt  to  San  Diego,  breeding  Muthward  to 
the  Farallones. 

Mr.  Emerson  found  this  species  abundant  on  the  Farallones.  It 
is  nocturnal  in  its  habits,  flying  an'l  roving  about  during  foggy,  stormy 
or  moonlight  nights,  but  never  at  dusk.  After  dusk,  however,  they 
come  out  of  their  holes  in  the  rocks  all  over  the  island,  and  can  be 
heard  calling  to  one  another  their  peculiar  notes,  chee-rie-kce,  cfiee-rie- 
kee.  This  Auk  does  not  burrow  in  the  ground  like  the  Puffins  or  other 
species  that  inhabit  the  Farallones.  Any  convenient  crevice  or  hole  in 
a  pile  of  rocks  which  affords  a  hiding-place  suits  this  species  for  the 
purpose  of  depositing  its  single  ^%%. 

Mr.  Bryant,  in  his  paper  '*  Birds  and  Eggs  from  the  FArallon  Isl- 
ands," says  that  this  Auk  arrives  early  in  the  year,  coming  in  great 
numbers  in  the  night  of  January  14,  1887. 

Two  and  three  young  are  supposed  to  be  reared  in  a  season. 
Young  birds  in  the  down  have  been  taken  in  September. 

Considering  the  size  of  this  species,  it  lays  a  very  large  ^^^.  The 
bird  measures  eight  to  nine  and  a  half  inches  in  length,  or  about  the 
size  of  a  full-grown  Woodcock,  while  its  egg  averages  2.25  x  1.47.  At 
first  appearance  the  egg  seems  to  be  white,  but  upon  holding  it  to  the 
light  it  is  a  delicate  shade  of  emerald  green.  The  shell  is  finely  gran- 
ulated, and  the  general  shape  of  the  egg  is  ovate,  some  more  pointed 
than  others.  Two  extreme  examples  measure  as  follows:  1.97x1.42, 
1.65  X  1.22. 

17.    Cyclorrhynchus  pslttacnlns.    (Pall.)    [747-1 

Paroqnet  Anklet. 

Hab.    Coasts  and  islands  of  the  North  Pacific,  from  the  Aleutian  and  Kurile  Islands  northward. 

A  bird  of  the  open  sea,  only  visiting  land  for  the  purpose  of 
breeding;  known  also  by  the  name  of  Pug-nosed  Auk.  It  is  dis- 
tributed irregularly  throughout  the  Northern  Pacific  Ocean  and 
Bering   Sea,    being   quite    common    on  the   Prybilof   and  Aleutian 


12 


NESTS  AND   EGGS  OP 


Islands  during  the  breeding  season,  which  begins  about  the  middle 
of  May. 

For  its  nesting  place  this  Auk  selects  a  deep  crevice  in  the  face  of 
some  inaccessible  cliflf;  the  cavity  is  often  winding,  and  it  is  exceed- 
ingly difficult  to  obtain  the  eggs.  Even  on  islands  where  hundreds  of 
these  birds  are  found  breeding  the  cavities  can  not  be  opened,  except 
by  the  means  of  dynamite  or  blasting  powder,  which,  if  used,  would 
destroy  the  eggs.  A  single  egg  is  deposited  on  the  bare  surface  of  the 
cavities;  it  is  generally  an  oblong-oval  shape  with  rounded  ends, 
chalk- white  or  bluish  in  color,  and  the  shell  rough.  The  average 
size  is  2.12  X  1.46. 

18.    Simorhynolms  crlstatellns    (Pall.)    [748.] 


Hab. 


Crested  Auklet. 

Coaitt  and  islands  of  the  North  Pacific,  from  Kadiak  and  Japan  northward. 


The  Crested  or  Snub-nosed  Auk,  like  the  last,  inhabits  the  coasts 

and  islands  of  the  North  Pacific.     This  little  bird  has  a  beautiful  crest 

on  the  forehead  of  twelve  to  twenty  feathers ;  it  is  about  two  inches 

long,  and  curls  gracefully  forward  upon  the  bill.   Its  nesting  habits  are 

like  those  of  the  C.  psittacultis.    On  the  islands  of  Bering  Sea  its 

breeding  season  extends  from   May  to  August.    The  egg  averages 

2.14x1.45. 

20.    Simorhynohas  pusillus  (Pall.)    [750.] 

Least  Anklet. 

Hab.    Coast*  and  islands  of  the  North  Pacific,  from  Sitka  and  Japan  northward  to  Bering's  Strait. 

One  of  the  most  characteristic  of  the  waterfowl  frequenting  the 
Prybilof  Islands,  Bering  Sea.  By  the  ist  to  the  6th  of  June  they 
arrive  in  great  numbers  on  these  islands,  and  begin  to  lay.  It  is  said 
to  be  comically  indifferent  to  the  proximity  of  man,  and  can  be  ap- 
proached almost  within  an  arm's  length  before  taking  flight,  sitting 
upright  and  eyeing  one  with  great  wisdom  and  profound  astonish- 
ment. Dr.  Coues  says:  "This  curious  little  bird,  the  smallest  of 
all  the  Auks,  and  one  of  the  least  of  all  water  birds,  inhabits  the 
coasts  and  islands  of  the  North  Pacific,  resorting  to  favorite  breeding 
places  by  millions,  with  S.  psittaculus  and  S.  cristatellus.  The  nesting 
is  similar,  the  single  egg  being  laid  in  the  recesses  of  rocky  shingle 
over  the  water;  size  1.55x1.12."!  The  bird  is  not  known  to  come 
south  so  far  as  the  United  States. 

21.    Synthliborampliris  antiquus  (Gmel.)    [753,  759.] 

Ancient  M nrrelet. 

Hab.  Coasts  and  islands  of  the  North  Pacific,  from  Sitka  and  Japan  northward.    Accidental  in  Wis- 

1. 

The  Black-throated  Guillemot,  or  Murrelet,  is  found  in  the  Pacific 


COnsin. 


t  Key  to  North  American  Birds,  p.  809. 


NORTH  AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


18 


Ocean,  breeding  on  the  islands  and  along  the  coasts  from  Sitka  north- 
ward. Nests  that  have  been  found  of  this  species  were  in  holes  in 
banks,  or  in  burrows  in  the  ground,  similar  to  those  of  the  Petrels. 
On  some  of  the  islands  of  Bering  Sea,  however,  the  biids  are 
known  to  deposit  their  eggs  in  the  crevices  of  cliffs.  A  single  egg  is 
laid,  pale  buff  in  color,  with  small  longitudinal  markings,  somewhat 
subdued,  of  lavender  gray  and  a  light  brown.  Sizes  range  from  2.15 
to  2.50  long  by  1.40  to  1.55  broad. 

23.    Brachyramphns  marmoratus  (Gmel.)    [755.] 

Marbled  Mnrrelet. 

Hab.  Coait  and  itiandi  of  the  North  Pacific:  on  the  American  coatt  from  San  Diego  northward,  and 
breeding  aa  far  south  at  Vancouver  Island. 

This  is  another  of  the  diminutive  Murres  confined  to  the  Pacific 
Ocean.  There  seems  to  be  little  known  concerning  its  nidification, 
but  its  nesting  habits  and  eggs  are  said  to  resemble  those  of  the 
Ancient  Murrelet,  5.  antiquus.  They  are  ovate  in  shape,  ground 
color  buflfy,  marked  with  various  shades  of  brown.    Size,  2.14  x  1.42. 

26.    Brachyramphus  craveri  (Salvad.)    [758.] 

Craverl's  Murrelet. 

Hab.     Island  of  Natividad,  Gulf  of  California. 

Craveri's  Murrelet,  of  plain  dark,  slaty  plumage  above,  and  entirely 
pure  white  beneath,  breeds  on  the  islands  at  the  southern  portion  of 
Lower  California,  in  the  vicinity  of  Cape  St.  Lucas.  It  nests  in  bur- 
rows in  the  ground,  and  its  general  habits  in  all  respects  are  said  to  be 
the  same  as  those  of  S.antiquus.  It  deposits  a  single  egg,which  is  ovate 
in  shape,  of  a  yellowish  or  bufiF  ground  color,  thickly  dotted,  sprinkled 
and  marked  with  blackish-brown.     Average  size  2.03  x  1.40. 

27.    Cepphus  grylle  (Linn.).    [760, /ar/.] 

Black  OniUemot. 

Hab,  Coasts  of  Northern  Europe,  south  to  Denmark  and  British  Islands;  coast  of  Maine,  south  in 
winter  to  Philadelphia;  Newfoundland  (?) 

In  Europe  this  species  breeds  from  the  northern  coasts  of  the 
British  Islands  to  the  Arctic  Ocean.  It  is  resident  on  the  north  coast 
of  Ireland.  Breeds  commonly  on  the  Hebrides,  Orkneys  and  other 
islands  on  the  coast  of  Scotland.  A  very  common  species  along  the 
entire  coast  of  Norway.  In  North  America  it  breeds  on  the  islands 
off  the  coast  of  Maine ;  on  Grand  Manan  and  other  smaller  islands  it 
is  found  in  countless  numbers  about  the  middle  of  June,  depositing  its 
eggs  in  the  nooks  and  crevices  of  rocks,  and  in  all  sorts  of  places 
which  offer  shelter  above  high  water  mark.  The  eggs  are  laid  on  the 
bare  surface  of  the  rock,  with  no  attempt  at  nest  building.   So  skillful 


14 


NESTS  AND  EGGS   OF 


t  i 


is  the  bird  in  hiding  away  its  eggs  that  they  are  sometimes  found  hid- 
den away  in  subterranean  caves.*  Two,  and  rarely  three  eggs  are 
laid,  and  they  are  indistinguishable  from  those  of  the  following 
species,  but  average  larger. 

28.    Cepphus  mandtii   (Licht.)    [760,  part.] 

Maadt's  Guillemot. 

Hab.  Arctic  regions  of  both  continents;  south  on  the  Atlantic  coast  of  North  America  in  winter  to 
New  Jersey,  breeding  to  Hudson's  Bay  and  Labrador;  Alaskan  coast,  south  in  winter  to  Norton  Sound. 

The  Sea  Pigeon,  as  it  is  called,  breeds  abundantly  on  the  coast 
and  islands  of  the  North  Atlantic.  It  is  very  abundant  from  Labrador 
and  Hudson's  Bay  northward,  nesting  in  the  holes  and  crevices  of 
rocks,  often  in  the  most  inaccessible  places.  The  eggs  are  laid  in  June 
and  July.  The  usual  complement  is  two,  often  three.  These  vary 
from  white  to  a  pale  greenish-white,  light  drab  yellow  or  buff,  marked 
irregularly  with  spots  and  blotches  of  different  shades  of  brown  and 
black,  thickest  at  the  great  end,  where  they  are  usually  almost  a  con- 
fluent ring;  they  are  oval  or  elliptical  in  form;  size  about  2.30x1.55, 
but,  like  nearly  all  eggs  in  a  large  series,  there  is  a  great  variation  in 
the  size,  shape,  and  also  in  the  style  of  markings,  etc. 

29.    Gepphua  columba  Pall.     [761.] 

Pigeon  Ouill-3s:.<t. 

Hab.  Coasts  and  islands  of  the  North  Pacific,  southward  from  Bering's  Strait  to  Northern  JrT>an 
and  Southern  California. 

On  the  Pacific  coast  of  North  America  this  species  is  found  breed- 
ing from  San  Nicholas  Island  northward  to  the  islands  of  Bering  Sea. 
Dr.  Leonhard  Stejneger  says  that  it  is  a  very  common  bird  on  Bering 
and  Copper  Islands ;  its  eggs  were  collected  at  the  latter  place  June 
i6th.t  It  is  quite  common  on  the  Farallones.  Mr.  Emerson  says  egg- 
laying  begins  about  the  first  of  May,  or  shortly  after,  and  continues 
into  July.  Two  eggs  is  the  number  laid,  and  they  are  deposited  in  the 
crevices  of  rocks  or  in  dark  nooks  under  boulders,  often  near  the 
water's  edge.  If  the  eggs  are  laken  the  foolish  bird  will  lay  again  in 
the  same  place.  The  favorite  resting  place  of  these  birds  is  on  the 
rocks  just  above  the  foaming  surf,  where  they  sit  in  pairs  and  "  con- 
verse "  with  one  another  in  low  whistling  notes. 

,  In  a  large  series  of  eggs  the  ground  color  varies  from  light  pearl 
gray  to  greenish-blue;  their  general  shape  is  like  that  of  the  Gulls' 
eggs,  rounded  oval  at  the  large  end  and  pointed  at  the  smaller.    The 

4*  See  "  Notes  on  Some  of  the  Birds  of  Grand  Manan,"  by  C.  H.  Andros,  Ornithologist  and  Oologist. 
Vol.  XII.  pp.  I71)-180. 

t  Bulletin  of  the  United  States  National  Museum.  No.  29.  Results  of  Ornithological  Explorations  in 
the  Commander  Islands  and  Kamtschatka.  By  Leonhard  Stejneger.  Washington,  Government  Printing 
Office,  1885.    P.  21. 


NORTH   AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


16 


markings  are  of  two  shades  of  lilac ;  in  some  they  are  thickly  spread 
over  the  entire  surface ;  in  others  they  fonn  a  circle  about  the  larger 
end.  Mr.  Bryant  gives  the  average  measurement  of  twenty-five  sets  of 
two  eggs  each  in  Mr.  Emerson's  collection  as,  61.6  by  41.4  mm.*  Ex- 
tremes in  size,  66.5  by  41.5,  58.5  by  41  millimeters.f 

30.     Uria  troile  (Linn.)    [763.] 

Mnrre. 

Hab.  Coasts  and  islands  of  the  North  Atlantic,  southward  on  the  coast  of  Nortn  Ame.ica  in  winter  to 
Southern  New  England;  breeding  from  Nova  Scotia  northward. 

Like  all  of  the  Auks,  Murres  and  Puffins,  this  species  is  eminently 
gregarious,  particularly  in  the  breeding  season.  It  is  found  in  great 
numbers  throughout  the  Arctic  Ocean  and  on  nearly  all  the  islands 
north  of  Asia,  Europe  and  America.  On  this  side  of  the  Atlantic  it 
breeds  from  Nova  Scotia  northward. 

Tens  of  thousands  of  these  birds  congregate  to  breed  on  the  rocky 
islands,  depositing  and  incubating  their  single  egg  close  to  one  another 
on  the  shelves  of  the  cliflFs.  The  birds  sit  side  by  side,  and  although 
crowded  together,  never  make  the  least  attempt  to  quarrel.  Clouds  of 
birds  may  be  seen  circling  in  the  air  over  some  huge,  rugged  bastion, 
forming  a  picture  which  would  seem  to  belong  to  the  imagination 
rather  than  the  realistic.  They  utter  a  syllable  which  sounds  exactly 
like  mnrre.  The  eggs  are  so  numerous  as  to  have  commercial  value, 
and  they  are  noted  for  their  great  variation  in  ground  color  and  mark- 
ings. They  vary  from  white  to  bluish  or  dark  emerald-green  in  ground 
color ;  occasionally  unmarked  specimens  are  found,  but  they  are  usually 
handsomely  spotted,  blotched,  lined  in  various  patterns  of  lilac,  brown 
and  black  over  the  surface.  In  some  the  marking  are  confused  zigzag 
lines  that  look  like  hieroglyphics.  The  eggs  are  large  for  the  size  of 
the  bird,  measuring  from  3.  to  3.50  long  by  1.95  to  2.10  broad;  pyri- 
form  in  shape. 

30a.    Uria  troile  californica  (Bryant.)    [763  a.] 

California  Mnrre. 

Hab.    Coasts  and  islands  of  the  North  Pacific,  breeding  from  California  north  to  the  Prybilof  Islands. 

Mr.  Emerson  says  that  the  California  Murre  is  the  most  common 
sea  fowl  on  the  Farallone  Islands,  and  they  do  not  seem  to  diminish  in 
number,  notwithstanding  the  wholesale  destruction  of  their  eggs  for 
commercial  purposes.  The  birds  begin  to  lay  by  the  middle  or  latter 
part  of  May.  Fresh  eggs  can  be  found  as  late  as  August.  This  is 
due,  more  or  less,  to  the  many  robberies  to  which  the  birds  are  sub- 

*  2.43xl.fl2. 
t'2.(!2xl.«3,2.8Uxl.61. 


16 


NESTS  AND   EGGS  OF 


jected,  and  they  are  compelled  to  lay  several  times  before  they  are  left 
undisturbed  by  the  eggers.  So  telling  is  the  effect  due  to  constant  laying 
that  the  eggs  deposited  in  the  latter  part  of  the  season  are  perceptibly 
smaller. 

The  Western  Gull,  Larus  occidentalism  is  another  enemy  of  this 
Murre ;  it  carries  off  and  devours  both  eggs  and  young.  So  it  would 
seem  that  the  chances  for  the  Murre  to  rear  its  young  and  launch  them 
into  the  deep,  blue  sea,  where  they  can  take  care  of  themselves,  are 
not  very  favorable,  yet  these  birds  are  found  in  countless  numbers  on 
the  islands  of  the  Pacific  coast.  Mr.  Bryant,  in  his  excellent  paper,*  says: 
"  The  gulls  pick  a  murre's  ^^g  up  bodily  and  carry  it  away  in  their 
capacious  mouth,  but  do  not  stick  their  bill  into  it  to  get  hold,  as  is 
stated  by  some  writers,  whose  observations  must  have  referred  to  the 
eggs  already  broken  by  the  gulls  or  eggers." 

This  species  lays  a  single  pear-shaped  egg  on  the  bare  rock,  often 
on  the  narrow  shelves  of  cliffs,  where  the  bird  has  just  room  enough  to 
sit,  and  if  unmolested  will  rear  two  and  three  young  in  a  season. 
Like  the  eggs  of  the  last  species,  they  show  a  wonderful  diversity  of 
color  and  markings ;  the  ground  color  is  white,  buff,  greenish  of  several 
shades,  yellowish,  and  cinnamon.  They  are  either  unspotted  or 
blotched  or  streaked  with  zigzag  markings  of  brown  and  black.  They 
measure  from  3.30  to  3.50  long  by  1.90  to  2.05  broad;  occasionally  as 
small  as  2.05  in  length  by  1.45  in  breadth. 


31.     Uria  lomvia  (Linn.)    [764a.] 

Brnimioh's  Murre. 

Hab.  Coasts  and  islands  of  the  North  Atlantic  and  Eastern  Arctic  Ocean,  south  on  the  Atlantic  coast 
of  North  America  to  New  Jersey.     Breeding  from  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence  northward. 

This  Species  has  the  same  general  habits  and  characteristics  as  the 
common  Murre,  Uria  troile.  Its  distribution  in  the  breeding  season  is 
about  the  same,  and  the  eggs  are  indistinguishable.  It  is  an  abundant 
bird  on  the  islands  of  the  North  Atlantic. 

31a.    Uria  lomvia  arra  (Pall.)    [764.] 

Pallas's  BIarr«. 

Hab.     Coasts  and  islands  of  the  North  Pacific  and  Western  Arctic  Ocean. 

The  great  *'  egg  bird  "  of  the  North  Pacific,  swarming  at  its  breed- 
ing places  on  the  rocky  islands  and  shores  in  myriads.  Its  habits  and 
nesting  are  the  same  as  those  of  the  foregoing,  the  eggs  averaging 
larger,  3.21x2.01. 

*  Birds  and  Eggs  from  the  Farallon  Islands. 


•e  they  are  left 
:onstant  laying 
tre  perceptibly 

nemy  of  this 
So  it  would 

1  launch  them 
emselves,  are 

numbers  on 
paper,*  says: 
iway  in  their 
-t  hold,  as  is 
ferred  to  the 

2  rock,  often 
n  enough  to 
n  a  season, 
diversity  of 
h  of  several 
'Spotted  or 
ack.  They 
isionally  as 


e  Atlantic  coast 

itics  as  the 
:  season  is 
abundant 


^s  breed- 
bits  and 
^eraging 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS.  ll 

32.     Alca  torda    Linn.    [742.] 

Ramor-bUled  Ank. 

Hab.  Coasts  and  islands  of  the  North  Atlantic,  south  in  winter  on  the  North  American  coast  to 
Southern  New  England. 

The  Razor-billed  Auk  is  abundant  on  the  coasts  and  islands  of  the 
North  Atlantic  and  some  parts  of  the  Polar  seas.  The  Razor- 
billed  Auk  is  about  eighteen  inches  long,  with  a  pointed  tail  and 
flatly  compressed  bill ;  the  plumage  is  brownish-black  above  and 
white  beneath,  the  black  bill  having  a  white  curved  line  and 
the  back  part  of  the  wing  is  edged  with  white.  It  breeds  from  the 
northeastern  coast  of  Maine  northward.  Mr.  Frazar  found  it  common 
everywhere  in  Labrador,  more  so  even  than  the  Murre,  f/rm  troile^ 
owing  to  its  habit  of  breeding  in  less  frequented  places  —  concealing 
its  eggs  in  the  cracks  and  crevices  among  the  rocks,  where  it  was  not 
apt  to  be  disturbed.  It  frequents  the  rocky  shores,  and  deposits  its 
eggs  in  June  and  July,  often  in  deep  fissures  of  the  rocks  and  in 
caverns.  It  very  frequently  lays  its  eggs  at  the  entrance  of  inhabited 
puffin's  burrows.  Generally  one  egg  is  laid,  but  in  about  twenty  in- 
stances Mr.  Frazar  found  two.  These  are  white  with  a  creamy  or 
bluish  tint,  spotted  and  blotched  with  dark  brown  or  black,  the  spots 
often  becoming  confluent  and  generally  forming  a  circle  toward  the 
large  end;  pyriform  to  oval  in  shape;  size  about  3.00x2.00.  The 
eggs  exhibit  a  great  variety  in  the  distribution  and  style  of  markings. 
In  shape  they  are  not  distinguishable  from  some  types  of  the  common 
Guillemot,  but  are  generally  more  or  less  ovate  or  elongated  pear- 
shaped.  The  Razor-billed  Auk  breeds  sparingly  on  the  outlying  rocky 
islands  of  Nova  Scotia,  as  on  Devil's  Limb  and  Gannet  rock. 

The  bird  is  about  eighteen  inches  long.  In  life  it  is  said  to  have 
a  particularly  trim  and  elegant  form,  and  its  feathers  are  always  kept 
perfectly  clean,  smooth  and  glossy.  This  Auk  is  said  to  be  of  quarrel- 
some disposition,  seldom  allowing  a  puffin  or  murre  to  alight  near 
it  without  opening  its  bill  at  the  intruder  and  disclosing  a  bright 
orange  mouth.  The  Razor-bill  rides  lightly  on  the  water  and  dives 
well. 

33.    Plautus  impennis    (Linn.)    [741  ] 

Great  Ank. 

Hab.  Formerly  the  coasts  and  islands  of  the  North  Atlantic,  from  Massachusetts  and  Ireland  north- 
ward nearly  to  the  Arctic  Circle.    Believed  to  be  now  extinct. 

Ornithologists  generally  agree  that  the  Great  Auk  has  disap- 
peared from  the  face  of  the  earth.  Within  the  present  generation  it  is 
one  of  the  birds  that  has  doubtless  become  extinct  through  the  agency 
of  man.     Like  the  penguin, which  it  much  re.embles  in  general  form, 


18 


NESTS  ANI>  EGGS  OK 


it  did  not  possess  wings  suitable  for  flight,  those  members  being  of 
very  small  size  and  only  useful  as  fins  in  the  water.  The  specific 
name,  impennis^  or  wingless,  is  not  really  a  correct  term.  The  bird 
was  easily  captured  when  on  land.  A  specimen  is  said  to  have  been 
taken  at  St.  Kilda  in  1822 ;  and  it  was  once  a  well  known  bird  in  the 
Orkneys. 

The  last  specimens  of  the  Great  Auk,  two  in  number,  were  taken 
by  a  party  of  men  in  an  excursion  to  a  rocky  island  on  the  coast  of 
Ireland  in  1844.  The  bird  formerly  inhabited  the  coast  of  Massachu- 
setts and  northward  to  Greenland  and  Iceland,  as  we  are  assured  by  the 
earlier  observers,  and  by  the  quantity  of  bones  in  shell-heaps.  There 
are  four  preserved  specimens  in  this  country,  and  about  seventy  skins 
and  eggs  in  the  various  museums  of  the  world.  This  interesting  bird 
is  said  to  have  once  been  found  on  Bird  Rocks  in  the  Gulf  of  St. 
Lawrence,  but  those  who  visited  this  place  as  far  back  as  1835  do  not 
mention  the  "  Penguin  "  as  occurring  there. 

On  the  American  coast  the  last  living  example  is  thought  to  have 
appeared  on  a  small  island  off  the  southern  coast  of  Newfoundland. 
About  twenty  years  ago  the  Great  Auk,  it  is  said,  was  still  to  be  found 
on  the  Penguin  Islands,  250  miles  north  of  Cape  Norman,  New  Found- 
land,  but  of  this  there  seems  to  be  no  satisfactory  evidence.  Mr.  R. 
Dean  records  one  **  found  dead  in  the  vicinity  of  St.  Augustine,  Lab- 
rador, in  1870."*  This  one,  though  in  poor  condition,  sold  for  $200, 
and  was  sent  to  Europe.  Concerning  the  character,  date  and  dis- 
position of  the  specimen,  however,  there  appears  to  be  some  question, 
and  it  is  not  likely  that  the  bird  lived  down  to  so  recent  a  date.  The 
bird  is  said  to  have  been  a  remarkable  swimmer,  moving  upon  and 
under  the  water  with  extraordinary  rapidity,  a  specimen  in  one  in- 
stance having  been  pursued  by  a  six-oared  boat  and  crew  for  hours  in 
vain.  The  Great  Auk,  the  largest  of  the  family,  measures  about 
thirty  inches  in  length,  the  wing  six,  tail  three,  bill  along  the  gape 
four  and  a  quarter.  The  general  color  of  its  plumage  is  dark  above, 
and  the  under  parts  white,  extending  to  a  point  beneath  the  throat; 
the  ends  of  the  secondaries  are  white.  There  is  a  white  oval  spot 
between  the  eyes  and  bill. 

The  egg  of  the  Great  Auk  w:js  laid  on  the  bare  rock  without  any 
attempt  at  a  nest.  The  egg  is  like  that  of  the  Razor-billed  Auk,  but 
of  course  much  larger.  Prof.  Robert  Ridgway  gives  the  average  size 
as  4.67  X  2.91.1 

*  American  Naturalist,  Vol.  VI,  p.  368. 
t  Manual  of  North  American  Birds,  p.  19. 


.-  .«*.n^i'..waaMW*'^*i  »*^  w  I'M  I' 


NORTH  AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


19 


34.    Allealle    (Linn.)    [752.] 

Dov«kie. 

Hab.  Coasts  and  islands  of  the  North  Atlantic  and  Eastern  Arctic  Ocean ;  in  North  America,  south 
in  winter  to  New  Jersey;  breeds  in  high  northern  latitudes. 

The  little  Ice-bird  of  the  fishermen  and  the  Sea  Dove  of  ornithol- 
ogists. Its  entire  life  is  spent  on  the  open  sea,  rarely  visiting  land  ex- 
cept during  the  breeding  season  or  when  driven  thence  by  severe 
storms.  It  breeds  in  the  Arctic  regions  of  America  and  Europe,  the 
islands  of  the  Arctic  Ocean,  and  in  the  northwestern  portion  of  Asia. 
The  head  and  bill  of  this  bird  are  formed  almost  exactly  like  that  of  a 
quail.  It  is  very  abundant  at  its  breeding  grounds  in  the  far  north, 
and  is  one  of  the  most  boreal  of  birds ;  nesting  chiefly  on  islands,  or 
always  in  places  near  the  sea,  depositing  its  single  pale,  greenish-blue 
egg  in  the  crevices  of  rocky  cliflfs.  The  eggs  measure  from  1.80  to 
1.90  in  length  by  1.25  to  1.30  in  breadth. 

35.    Megalestris  skua    (Brunn.)    [696.] 

Skna. 

Hab.  Coasts  and  islands  of  the  North  Atlantic.  South  to  Spain  and  Massachusetts.  Rare  on  the 
coast  of  North  America, 

The  Skua  Gull  may  well  be  called  the  feathered  pirate  of  the  seas. 
It  does  not  congregate  in  flocks ;  two  or  more  pairs  are  seldom  seen 
together.  It  is  noted  for  its  courage  and  daring,  attacking  and  harass- 
ing gulls,  forcing  them  to  disgorge  the  fish  which  they  have  swal- 
lowed. In  the  Island  of  Unst,  the  most  northern  one  of  the  Shetland 
group,  it  has  been  found  breeding.  The  bird  was  given  a  place  in  the 
fauna  of  North  America  on  the  ground  of  its  occurrence  in  Greenland, 
where  its  eggs  are  said  to  have  been  taken.  The  nest  is  simply  a  shal- 
low cavity  in  the  long  grass,  lined  with  grass  stems.  The  eggs  are  two 
or  three  in  number,  with  an  olive-green  or  drab  ground-color,  marked 
by  irregular  dark  olive-brown  and  chocolate-colored  blotches ;  they 
measure  from  2.75  to  3.00  in  length,  by  1.50  to  2.00  in  breadth. 

36.    Stercorarius  pomarinus    (Temm.)    [697.] 

Pomarine  Jaeger. 

Hab.  Seas  and  inland  waters  of  northern  portions  of  Northern  Hemisphere,  south  to  Africa  and 
Australia,  and  probably  South  America.  Not  known  to  occur  in  winter  on  the  Atlantic  coast  of  North 
America  north  of   Long  Island. 

Another  of  the  falcon-like  sea  fowls,  commonly  called  the  Gull 
Hunter  by  the  fishermen.  Resident  throughout  the  summer  in  high 
northern  regions,  chiefly  within  the  Arctic  Circle.  In  winter  it  is  a 
great  wanderer,  and  is  known  to  occur  on  the  Great  Lakes,  and  as  far 
as  the  above  habitat  indicates.  The  bird  is  said  to  live  chiefly  by  plun- 
dering the  Kittiwake  Gull;  but  will  attack  other  species,  even  the 


ml 


20 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


I 


I 


1 
I    r 

I    I- 


largest.  Comparatively  little  is  known  of  its  breeding  habits;  it 
breeds  in  remote  places,  and  is  said  to  form  a  rude  nest  of  grass  and 
moss,  situated  on  dry  elevated  spots  in  marshes.  The  eggs  of  all  the 
Skuas  are  very  similar  in  appearance — pale  olive-green  or  yellowish- 
gray  in  ground-color — irregularly  blotched  and  spotted  with  two  shades 
of  brown ;  those  of  the  present  species  are  said  to  be  thinner  in  form 
and  more  pointed  than  those  of  the  others.  Dr.  Brewer  describes  an 
egg  procured  in  Greenland  as  rounded-ovoid;  its  ground-color,  deep 
olive-drab,  sparingly  spotted  with  slate-color  and  two  shades  of  umber, 
chiefly  at  the  larger  end,  where  they  become  confluent.  There  are  also 
a  very  few  scattered  dots  of  black.     Size,  2.25  by  1.70. 

37.  Stercorarius  parasiticus    (Linn.)    [698.] 

Paraaitio  Jaeger. 

Hab.  Northern  part  of  Northern  Hemisphere,  southward  in  winter  to  South  Africa  and  South  Amer- 
ica. Breeds  in  high  northern  districts,  and  winters  from  the  Middle  States  and  California  southward  to 
Brazil  and  Chili. 

The  Parasitic  Jaegar,  like  the  others  of  this  family,  is  eminently 
rapacious,  and  it  is  known  as  the  "  Man-of-War,"  from  its  habits  of 
pursuing  and  robbing  the  terns  and  smaller  gulls.  It  breeds  in  the 
interior  of  Arctic  America,  and  is  especially  abundant  in  the  Anderson 
River  region.  A  common  bird  in  the  more  northern  portion  of  Asia 
and  Europe.  So  far  as  known,  its  general  habits  do  not  differ  from 
those  of  the  Pomarine.  It  is  given  as  the  most  common  of  the  Skuas 
off  the  coast  of  Norway,  but  does  not  go  far  inland  to  breed.  The 
nest  of  this  species  is  made  on  islands  or  on  the  margins  of  lakes ;  it  is 
a  mere  depression  in  the  ground,  lined  with  a  few  grasses  and  withered 
leaves.  In  Greenland  it  is  said  to  be  a  resident  species,  and  it  breeds 
in  Iceland  on  the  moors  far  inland.  In  the  Shetland  Islands  this  bird 
breeds  in  communities,  fifty  or  more  pairs  congregating  at  the  same 
place.  The  eggs  are  usually  two  in  number,  sometimes  three,  and  are 
as  variable  in  ground  color  and  markings  as  those  of  the  Eskimo 
Curlew.  They  vary  from  olive  drab  to  green,  gray  and  brown,  marked 
with  several  shades  of  chocolate,  brown  and  an  obscure  stone  gray, 
distributed  over  the  entire  egg.  Size  from  2.00  to  2.40  long,  and  from 
1.50  to  1.70  broad. 

38.  Stercorarins  longicaudus    Vieill.    [699.] 

Long-tailed   Jaeger. 

Hab.    Northern  part  of  Northern  Hemisphere,  south  in  winter  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 

The  same  plundering  habits  mark  the  character  of  this  bird  as  are 
peculiar  to  any  of  the  Jaegers  or  Skuas.  It  is  distributed  in  the  breed- 
ing season  throughout  all  parts  of  the  region  near  the  Arctic  Circle,  in 


■Cf?MKI-^*ewr  '.-r»j«--'  ■"*•*" 


J^l^ 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


21 


Siberia,  Northern  Asia,  Europe  and  America,  and  on  the  islands  of  the 
Arctic  Ocean.  It  breeds  in  Greenland  and  Iceland,  is  abundant 
throughout  the  Barren  Grounds  of  the  Arctic  coast,  and  is  said  to  be 
very  numerous  in  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Anderson,  also  on  the  shores  of 
Franklin  Bay.  It  is  also  found  breeding  on  several  of  the  Orkney  and 
Shetland  Islands.  Nests  found  in  the  Arctic  regions  are  mere  depres- 
sions in  the  soil,  scantily  lined  with  dry  grass  and  leaves.  Some  are 
placed  far  inland  near  small  lakes,  and  often  there  is  really  no  nest, 
the  eggs  being  laid  on  the  bare  ground.  The  eggs  are  said  to  be  not 
always  distinguishable  from  those  of  the  Parasitic  Jaeger,  but  average 
smaller;  exceptionally  large  specimens  of  5".  longicaudus  are  some- 
times as  large  as  exceptionally  small  ones  of  S.  parasiticus  They 
range  from  1.95  to  2.18  long,  and  from  1.45  to  1.55  broad. 

39.    Gavia  aM     (Gunn.)    [657.] 

Ivory  Onll. 

Hab.  Arctic  Seas,  south  in  winter  on  the  Atlantic  coast  of  North  America  to  Labrador  and  New 
Foundland,  casually  to  New  Brunswick,  and  on  the  Pacific  side  to  Bering  Sea. 

A  bird  that  is  resident  in  the  Arctic  regions  of  both  hemispheres, 
only  occasionally  visiting  the  more  temperate  zones.  It  is  said  to 
breed  the  farthest  north  of  all  the  gulls.  Noted  for  its  ravenous  appe- 
tite, gorging  itself  with  the  flesh  of  the  seal  and  the  blubber  of  the 
whale.  On  the  islands  and  along  the  coasts  of  Spitzbergen  it  breeds 
sparingly ;  in  like  places  on  the  coast  of  Northern  Siberia  it  is  abund- 
ant. The  bird  is  a  resident  of  Greenland,  and  the  breeding  season 
there  begins  about  the  middle  of  June.  The  nest  is  built  on  some 
inaccessible  rock  or  clift ;  it  is  made  of  dry  grass  and  lined  with  moss 
and  a  few  feathers,  forming  quite  a  hollow.  An  egg  is  described  as 
oblong-oval  in  shape,  with  a  ground  color  of  light  yellowish-olive  with 
small  blotches  of  dark  brown  scattered  over  the  surface.  These  are 
intermingled  with  more  obscure  brown  and  cloudings  of  lilac.  Size 
2.45  long  by  1.70  broad. 

40.    Rissa  tridactyla     (Linn.)    [658.J 

Kittlwake. 

Hab.  Arctic  regions,  south  in  Eastern  North  America  in  winter  to  the  Great  Lakes  and  Middle  States. 

The  Kittiwake  Gull  is  a  northern  species,  found  in  the  Atlantic 
waters  of  Europe  and  America.  On  the  Pacific  coast  it  is  represented 
by  the  next  form,  pollic%ris.  It  is  one  of  the  commonest  resident 
species  of  Greenland,  and  according  to  observers  it  inhabits  nearly  all 
parts  of  the  Arctic  regions.  Breeds  on  the  islands  of  the  Atlantic  coast 
of  North  America,  from  New  England  northward ;  an  abundant  species, 


22 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


nesting  not  always  on  the  ground  like  most  gulls,  but  on  rocky  cliffs 
overhanging  water.  On  Gannet  Rocks  of  the  St.  Lawrence  this  noisy 
Gull  is  especially  numerous,  where  its  nests  are  found  on  narrow 
ledges ;  they  are  composed  of  grass  and  seaweed.  Some  of  the  nests 
are  quite  flat,  while  others  are  several  inches  in  thickness  and  deeply 
hollowed,  new  material  being  added  each  year,  and  they  are  sometimes 
so  numerous  that  the  breeding  places  become  very  filthy  and  emit  an 
intolerable  odor. 

The  eggs  are  two  and  sometimes  three  in  number,  and  have  a 
ground-color  of  yellowish  buff,  brownish-gray  or  pale  greenish-gray, 
marked  with  irregular  spots  of  varying  shades  of  brown  and  lilac.  The' 
average  size  is  2.26  x  1.61. 

40a.    Rissa  tridactyla  poUlcaris    Ridgw.    [6580. ] 

Paoifio  Kittiwake. 

Hab.    Coasts  of  North  Pacific  and  Bering  Sea. 

This  form  of  the  Kittiwake  is  abundant  on  the  islands  of  the 
North  Pacific.  Dr.  Leonhard  Stejneger  records  it  as  a  common  breed- 
ing bird,  both  on  the  islands  and  along  the  Kamtschatkan  coast,  and 
in  all  places  suitable  for  rookeries  they  are  found  in  astonishing  num- 
bers. For  the  purpose  of  nesting  they  select  the  shelves  and  projec- 
tions of  cliffs,  the  tops  of  walls  that  rise  perpendicularly  out  of  the 
deep  sea,  and  especially  on  the  high  pinnacles  standing  lonely  amidst 
the  foaming  breakers.  The  nesting  is  precisely  the  same  as  that  of  R. 
tridactyla^  and  the  eggs  are  indistinguishable,  except  that  in  a  large 
series  they  are  said  to  be  more  uniform  in  their  markings. 

41.    Rissa  breviroatris    (Bruch.)    [659.] 

Red-legged  Klttiiv^ake. 

Hab.    Coasts  and  islands  of  Bering  Sea. 

The  living  bird  of  this  species  has  coral-red  legs  and  feet,  which 
contrast  richly  with  the  snowy  white  plumage  of  the  head,  neck  and 
under  parts.  An  abundant  species  on  the  islands  of  Bering  Sea.  On 
the  Prybilof  group  it  swarms  by  tens  of  thousands  to  breed  in  the  first 
part  of  May.  It  is  especially  abundant  on  St.  George's  and  St.  Paul's 
Islands. 

The  nests,  like  those  of  the  Pacific  Kittiwake,  are  placed  on  almost 
inaccessible  shelves  and  projections,  so  that  seldom  is  a  nest  reached 
unless  a  person  is  lowered  down  to  it  on  a  rope  passed  over  the  cli**" 
Dry  grass  and  moss  cemented  with  mud  are  the  materials  which  con- 
stitute the  nests. 

The  Red-legged  Kittiwake  is  common  on  the  islands  along  the 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


23 


an  rocky  cliffs 
ace  this  noisy 
^  on  narrow 
e  of  the  nests 
s  and  deeply 
re  sometimes 
and  emit  an 


ands  of  the 
mon  breed- 
i  coast,  and 
5hing  num- 
md  projec- 
out  of  the 
ely  amidst 
that  of  i?. 
in  a  large 


et,  which 
aeck  and 
3ea.  On 
^  the  first 
>t.  Paul's 

n  almost 
reached 
the  cli«" 
ich  con- 
ing the 


Kamtschatkan  coast,  notably  on  Copper  Island,  where  it  breeds  in 
company  with  pollicaris. 

The  eggs  have  a  ground-color  of  brownish  white,  varying  to  light 
drab  and  buff,  marked  with  blotches,  sepia-brown  and  umber ;  these 
are  underlain  by  subdued  shades  and  cloudings  of  lilac-gray.  The 
average  size  of  the  egg  is  2.28  x  1.66. 


42. 


[660.] 


Lams  glaucQS    Brunn. 

Gli\noiu  Onll. 

Hab.    Arctic  regions,  south  in  North  America  to  the  Great  Lakes  and  Long  Island.    North  Pacific. 

One  of  the  largest  of  the  Gulls,  equal  in  fact,  to  the  Great  Black- 
backed  Gull,  L.  marinus. 

It  is  a  bird  of  high  northern  range  during  the  breeding  season — 
inhabiting  the  Arctic  regions  of  Europe  and  Asia  and  the  more  north- 
ern portions  of  North  America.  In  Spitzbergen  it  is  said  to  breed  in 
immense  numbers,  placing  the  nests  on  the  shores  or  low  rocks  and 
even  on  masses  of  ice.  They  are  large  structures,  made  of  sea  weed 
and  moss.  The  Burgomaster  Gull,  as  it  is  called,  feeds  on  crabs  and 
fishes ;  it  attacks  smaller  birds  and  also  robs  them  of  their  eggs  and 
young.  It  attends  fishing  boats  for  the  purpose  of  devouring  the  offal 
which  may  be  thrown  overboard.  The  bird  is  recorded  as  a  constant 
resident  of  Greenland.  In  Hudson's  Bay  it  builds  its  nests  on  the 
islands  in  lakes  and  rivers,  and  the  young  are  hatched  in  June.  Wal- 
rus Island,  one  of  the  Prybilof  group  in  Bering  Sea,  is  a  favorite 
breeding  place  of  this  gull ;  here  the  nests  are  built  of  sea  ferns  and 
dry  grass,  placed  among  the  gra'^sy  tussocks  in  the  center  of  the 
island.  The  eggs  are  two,  and  sometimes  three  in  number ;  their  gen- 
eral shape  is  spherically  oval,  and  the  ground  color  dark  grayish- 
brown,  pale  ash,  pale  clay  or  a  pearly  white.  The  markings  are  small 
patches  of  light  brown  and  brownish  black.  The  sizes  range  from 
2.95  to  3.15  long  by  2.18  to  2.25  broad. 

*  *  Larus  barrovianus    Ridgw. 

Point  Barrotr  Gull. 

Hab.     Bering  Sea  and  adjacent  waters,  northeastward  to  Point  Barrow,  southwest  in  winter  to  Japan. 

This  new  species  of  Gull,*  whose  plumage  is  described  as  resemb- 
ling that  of  the  Glaucous  and  Iceland  Gulls,  and  whose  size  is  inter- 
mediate between  these  two  species,  is  found  on  the  islands  of  Be- 
ring Sea,  and  its  range  extends  as  indicated  in  the  habitat. 

Specimens  that  served  for  description  were  from  the  Island  of  St. 
Michaels  and  Point  Barrow.f 

•Described  since  the  publication  of  the  A.  O.  U.  Check  List. 

t  For  details  see  Auk,  III,  p.  330,  or  Ridgway's  Manual  N.  Am.  Birds,  p.  26. 


;i 


24 


NBSTS  AND  BGGS  OP 


.Its  general  habits,  nesting,  eggs,  etc.,  are  doubtless  similar  to 
those  of  other  Gulls.  Prof.  Ridgway  gives  the  average  measurement 
of  its  eggs  as  3.05  x  2.03. 

43.  Lams  leacopterns    Faber.    [661.] 

Iceland  Onll* 

Hab.  Arctic  Regions,  toutb  in  winter  in  North  America  to  Maiiachutetti,  and  further. 

This  Gull  is  precisely  like  the  last,  but  smaller,  and  it  is  difficult 
to  distinguish  the  two  at  a  distance.  Another  common  name  for  it  is 
White-winged  Gull.  It  is  an  Arctic  species,  and  its  distribution  dur- 
ing the  breeding  season  is  nearly  identical  with  that  of  the  Burgo- 
master, being  found  in  the  northerr  parts  of  Europe,  Asia  and  North 
America.  The  two  species  are  often  found  nesting  in  the  same  places, 
and  the  nests  are  of  the  same  construction.  The  eggs,  however,  are 
smaller,  measuring  2.79  x  1.85. 

44.  Larus  glaucescens   Naum.    [662.] 

Olanooiu-winged  Onll. 

Hab.    Pacific  coast  of  North  America,  from  Alaska  south  to  California;  on  the  Asiatic  side  south  to 
Japan. 

Almost  as  large  a  species  as  the  Glaucous  Gull  or  Burgomaster. 
It  breeds  on  the  islands  of  the  Pacific  coast  from  Washington  Terri- 
tory northward.  The  nests  are  not  always  built  on  the  shelving  rocks 
of  high  clififs.  On  the  Aleutian  Islands  they  are  found  among  the  tall 
grass  on  the  highest  parts  of  the  islands,  while  others  are  built  on  pro- 
jections of  rocks.  Sometimes  there  is  little  or  no  attempt  at  nest- 
making,  the  eggs  being  laid  in  a  slight  depression  of  the  ground. 

On  Bering  Sea  and  Copper  Islands,  on  the  Kamtschatkan  coast, 
this  species  breeds  all  around  the  shores.  Eggs  have  been  found  as 
early  as  the  middle  of  May.  These  are  said  to  be  of  a  more  greenish 
tinge  and  the  spots  more  numerous  and  better  defined  than  in  those 
of  the  glauctis.    Size  2.88  x  2.03. 

45.    Larus  knmlienl    Brewst. 

Knmllen'B  Gvll. 

Hab.    North  Atlantic  coast  of  North  America;  south  in  winter  to  the  coast  of  the  Middle  States. 

This  new  species  of  Gull,  first  described  by  Mr.  William  Brew- 
ster,* is  like  glaucescens^  but  somewhat  smaller.  It  is  recorded  as 
being  quite  common  in  the  upper  Cumberland  water,  where  it  breeds, 
placing  the  nests  on  shelving  rocks  of  high  clifiFs.  The  eggs  are  said 
to  be  the  same  as  those  of  glatuescens. 

*Bull.  Nutt.  Club.,  Vol.  VIII.,  p.  216. 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


25 


53  similar  to 
neasurement 


her, 

t  is  difficult 
me  for  it  is 
ibution  dur- 
the  Burgo- 
L  and  North 
ame  places, 
3wever,  are 


ic  side  south  to 

rgomaster. 
ton  Terri- 
-'ing  rocks 
ig  the  tall 
It  on  pro- 
t  at  nest- 
und. 

^an  coast, 
found  as 
greenish 
in  those 


e  States. 

1  Brew- 
rded  as 
breeds, 
tre  said 


47.    Larofl  marlniu     Linn.    [663.] 

Or««t  Blaok-bAoked  Onll. 

Hab.    Coasts  of  the  North  Atlaniic;  south  in  winter  to  Long  Island  and  Italy. 

The  large  and  powerful  Black-backed  Gull,  or  Saddle-back,  inhab- 
its the  Atlantic  waters  of  Europe  and  North  America.  Breeds  in  great 
numbers  on  the  coast  of  Norway  as  far  as  North  Cape.  In  various 
parts  of  the  British  Islands  it  is  found  throughout  the  year,  especially 
on  the  islands  around  the  coasts  of  Scotland,  where  it  breeds  in  abun- 
dance. On  the  American  coast  it  breeds  from  the  Bay  of  Fundy  north- 
ward to  Greenland.  Years  ago  it  was  known  to  breed  quite  commonly 
on  the  islands  ofiF  the  coast  of  Nova  Scotia. 

In  Labrador  it  is  common  everywhere.  Mr.  M.  Abbott  Frazar 
found  it  breeding  on  the  small  islands,  placing  its  nests  generally  on 
some  elevated  spot.  He  seldom  found  more  than  a  half  dozen  pairs 
breeding  on  a  single  island.  The  nests  were  built  of  dry  grasses,  were 
very  bulky  and  deeply  hollowed.  He  found  no  nests  containing  more 
than  three  eggs.  During  the  breeding  season  the  birds  feed  largely 
upon  the  eggs  of  other  birds,  especially  upon  those  of  the  Murre  and 
upon  young  Eider  ducks.* 

The  eggs  of  this  Gull  vary  from  a  bluish-white  or  olive-gray  to 
a  deep  yellowish  brown,  and  are  irregularly  spotted  and  blotched 
with  reddish-brown  and  lilac  of  different  shades.  The  sizes  vary  from 
2.70  to  3.20  long  by  2.05  to  2.25  broad. 

49.    Larus  occidentalis     Aud.    [664.] 

Western  Onll. 

Hab.     Pacific  coast  of  North  America,  breeds  from  Southern  California  northward. 

The  most  abundant  species  of  Gull  on  the  California  coast,  breed- 
ing on  all  suitable  islands.  It  is  the  only  gull  which  breeds  on  the 
Farallones.  Mr.  Emerson  states  that  on  these  islands  the  nest  is  built 
either  on  high  ridges  or  low  places  near  the  shore.  The  material  used 
is  a  dry,  rank  weed ;  with  this  they  construct  their  rather  bulky  nest 
and  repair  or  rebuild  it  each  year.  Of  their  general  habits  Mr.  Bryant 
says: 

"The  gulls  are  indiscriminate  feeders;  in  addition  to  their  usual 
articles  of  diet,  th'^y  subsist  largely  upon  eggs  during  the  summer. 
They  do  not  eat  the  eggs  of  their  own  species,  nor  do  they  trouble  the 
cormorants  after  the  murres  have  commenced  laying.  Sea  urchins, 
crabs,  young  murres  and  rabbits,  and  fish  stolen  from  the  cormorants* 
nests  are  eaten.     Not  being  quick  enough  to  swoop  upon  the  rabbits, 

"  Ornithologist  and  Oologist,  Vol.  XII.,  p.  17. 


m 


'i.i 


.1  "  t, 

■J  ;. 


26 


NESTS  AND   EGGS  OF 


I 


! 


i       1 


they  catch  them  by  patient  watching  at  their  burrows,  and  will  perse- 
vere for  fifteen  minutes  to  swallow  a  squealing  young  rabbit,  and  finally 
fly  away  with  the  hind  feet  protruding.  The  dead  bodies  of  Murres 
are  also  eaten ;  they  detach  pieces  of  flesh  by  backing  away  and 
dragging  the  body,  meanwhile  shaking  their  head,  till  a  piece  breaks 
off"." 

The  eggs  are  deposited  as  early  as  the  first  part  of  May  on  the 
Farallones,  and  laying  is  sometimes  continued  into  July.  The  usual 
complement  is  three ;  but  from  constant  robberies  by  the  eggers,  who 
collect  eggs  for  the  San  Francisco  market,  often  only  two  are  laid.  The 
same  variation  of  ground-color  and  markings  are  to  be  found  in  these 
eggs  as  is  common  to  all  those  of  the  gulls ;  light  grayish  olive,  clay 
color,  bluish-white  and  deep  yellowish-brown,  spotted  and  blotched 
with  umber-brown,  blackish  and  lilac  of  varying  shades.  The  average 
size  of  fifty  specimens  is,  2.76  x  1.94;  the  largest  2.99  x  2.01 ;  the  small- 
est 2.56  X  1.89. 

[50]    Larus  afflnls    Reinh.     [665.] 

Siberian  Ovll. 

Hab.     Greenland;  Alia;  Europe,  southward  in  winter  to  North  Africa. 

The  Siberian  Gull  is  a  rare  or  occasional  visitor  in  Greenland, 
whereupon  it  claims  a  place  in  the  fauna  of  North  America.  It 
breeds  in  the  extreme  north  of  Europe,  notably  on  the  shores  and 
in  the  lagoons  of  the  Petchora  River  in  the  northern  part  of  Euro- 
pean Russia.  The  eggs  are  said  not  to  differ  from  those  of  the 
Herring  Gull. 

51.    Larus  argentatus    Brunn    [666] 

Herring  Onll. 

Hab.  Old  World,  south  to  the  Azores;  Cumberland  Sound;  occasional  on  the  eastern  coast  ot  the 
United  States. 

The  European  Herring  Gull  is  known  as  an  occasional  visitor  to 
the  coast  of  Eastern  North  America.  On  the  Azores,  a  cluster  of  nine 
islands  in  the  Atlantic,  eight  hundred  miles  due  west  of  Portugal,  this 
Gull  is  very  common,  breeding  on  some  of  the  islands  in  immense 
numbers. 

In  Great  Britain  it  is  a  familiar  bird  everywhere.  It  breeds  in  the 
islands  on  the  coast  of  Scotland,  especially  the  Hebrides,  Shetland, 
Orkney  and  the  Faroe  Islands ;  thence  northward  to  Iceland.  One  of 
the  most  common  Gulls  along  the  coast  of  Norway,  as  far  as  North 
Cape,  where  they  breed  by  thousands.  Its  nesting  habits  and  its 
eggs  are  the  same  as  those  of  the  American  bird,  smithsonianus.  Eggs 
2.91  X  1.98. 


NORTH  AMERICAN    BIRDS. 


27 


:oa«t  o(  the 


51a.    Lariu  argentatns  gmithsonianiis    Coucs.    [d66a.] 

AuMriemn  Harrlns  Onll. 

Hab.    North  America  gtnerilly.     Breedi  on  tha  Atlantic  coail  from  Maina  northward. 

In  North  America  this  Gull  is  a  common  bird  throughout  its 
range,  particularly  coast-wise.  It  is  also  more  or  less  abundant  on  the 
inland  lakes  and  rivers  during  its  periods  of  migration,  and  in  many 
of  these  places  it  is  found  breeding.  At  Moosehead  Lake,  Me.,  where 
a  few  pair  breed,  the  eggs  are  laid  in  the  latter  part  of  May,  or  in  the 
first  week  of  June.  In  the  interior  this  Gull  is  found  breeding  on  the 
lakes  and  larger  bodies  of  water,  as  far  north  as  the  Mackenzie  and 
Anderson  River  regions.  On  many  of  the  large  prairie  lakes  of  Mani- 
toba it  breeds  in  great  numbers.  Mr.  Frazar  mentions  this  species  as 
the  most  common  of  all  the  gulls  inhabiting  Labrador,  breeding  in 
colonies  and  placing  their  nests  on  the  ground.*  In  many  places 
where  the  Herring  Gull  has  suffered  persecution,  it  has  been  knc  n  to 
depart  from  its  usual  habit  of  nesting  on  the  open  seashore,  and  \  ,  e 
its  nest  on  trees  sixty  and  seventy-five  feet  from  the  ground. 

At  Grand  Manan  and  in  Labrador,  in  some  of  the  old  breed, 
grounds,  its  human  foes  have  brought  about  this  change  in  its  habits- 
Some  of  the  nests  built  on  the  ground  are  merely  a  shallow  depression 
with  a  slight  lining,  others  are  large  and  elaborately  made  of  grass  and 
moss.  Those  built  in  trees  are  said  to  be  strongly  interwoven  and  very 
compact. 

The  complement  of  eggs  is  normally  three  ;  they  vary  from  bluish- 
white  to  deep  yellowish-brown,  irregularly  spotted  and  blotched  with 
brown  of  different  shades ;  in  a  large  series  a  great  diversity  of  ground- 
color and  markings  exists.  Mr.  Elwin  A.  Capen  in  his  superb  workf 
figures  three  prevailing  types  of  coloration.  The  sizes  range  from  2.73 
to  2.91  long  by  1.64  to  194  broad. 

52.    Larus  cachinnans     Pall.    [667.] 

Pallas's  Onll. 

Hab.  Asia,  from  the  Red  Sea  to  the  Pacific  and  Arctic  Oceans;  coast  of  Alaska,  south  in  winter  to 
California. 

In  the  Old  World  this  Gull  has  been  found  breeding  on  the  shores 
and  islands  of  the  Red  Sea,  the  Mediterranean  and  Black  Seas,  and  at 
the  mouths  of  the  Rivers  Volga  and  Ural ;  on  the  shores  and  islands 
of  the  Caspian  Sea,  thence  eastwardly  and  northerly  on  the  inland 
lakes  and  rivers  through  Asia  to  the  Pacific  and  Arctic  Oceans.    In 

"  Ornithologist  and  Oologist,  Vol.  XII,  p.  18. 

t  Oology  of  New  England:  a  description  of  the  eggs,  nests  and  breeding  habits  of  the  birds  known  to 
braed  in  New  England,  with  colored  illustrations  of  their  eggs.    By  Elwin  A.  Capen.    Boston,  1886. 


M 


\ 


V 


I 


f 


11- 
li 


28 


NHSTS  AND  EGGS  OP 


North  America  it  is  a  common  species  of  the  Northern  Pacific,  from 
California  to  Alaska.  It  breeds  on  the  islands  of  the  Upper  Yukon 
River,  in  the  first  part  of  May,  depositing  its  eggs  in  slight  depressions 
of  the  bare  ground.  The  eggs  are  not  distinguishable  from  those  of 
the  Herring  Gull,  L.  argentatus. 


53. 


[668.] 


Larus  californicns    Lawr. 

Callfomta  Onll. 

Hab.    Weitero  North  America. 

The  California  Gull  is  found  along  the  Pacific  coast  in  winter,  but 
retires  to  its  breeding  places  in  the  summer  months.  Its  breeding 
grounds  seem  to  be  inland,  on  the  lakes  and  large  bodies  of  water.  It 
breeds  abundantly  on  Great  Salt  Lake  and  Pyramid  Lake,  Utah,  and 
on  Lake  Malheur,  in  Eastern  Oregon.  It  has  been  found  nesting  as 
far  north  as  Great  Slave  Lake,  Fort  Resolution,  Fort  Simpson  and  the 
Lower  Anderson  River.  The  nests  of  this  species  are  made  on  the 
ground,  or  built  on  rocks  and,  sometimes  where  the  birds  are  breeding 
in  vast  colonies,  the  nests  are  placed  on  stunted  sage  or  greasewood 
bushes.  They  are  built  of  sticks,  grass  and  a  few  feathers.  The  eggs 
are  usually  three  or  four  in  number,  occasionally  five.  Prof.  Marcus 
E.  Jones  informs  me  that  at  Great  Salt  Lake  this  Gull  generally  lays 
five  eggs.  These  are  deposited  in  a  little  bare  spot  surrounded  by  a 
few  twigs,  the  hollow  just  deep  enough  to  keep  the  eggs  from  rolling 
out.  The  nests  are  made  on  the  sand  or  any  other  bare  spot  on  islands 
far  out  I'  the  lake.  The  eggs  are  laid  about  the  middle  of  May. 
They  vary  from  a  bluish-white  to  a  deep  brownish-clay  color,  spotted 
and  blotched  with  dark  brown,  slate  and  blackish  zigzag  markings. 
Sizes  range  from  2.50  to  2.70  long  by  1.65  to  1.95  broad. 

54.    Larus  delawarensis    Ord.    [669.] 

Ring-biUed  OnU. 

Hab.    North  America  at  large;   south  in  winter  to  Cuba  and  Mexico. 

This  Gull  inhabits  the  entire  Continent  of  North  America,  and  is, 
on  the  whole,  the  commonest  species  both  coastwise  and  in  the  interior, 
it  breeds  in  the  United  States  and  far  nonh,  placing  its  nest  on  the 
ground  or  on  cliflfs.  Mr.  Stebbins  found  this  species  and  the  Common 
Tern  occupying  an  island  of  about  an  acre  in  extent  in  Devils  Lake, 
Dakota,  in  the  first  week  of  June.  The  entire  island  was  covered  with 
eggs  of  the  gulls  and  terns.  Mr.  Stebbins  says :  "I  don't  suppose 
you  could  lay  down  a  two-foot  rule  anywhere  without  each  end  of  it 
striking  a  nest.  It  was  common  to  find  the  terns  and  gulls  breeding 
side  by  side.    Most  of  the  gulls'  nests  were  in  the  grass,  while  those 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


29 


of  the  terns  were  in  the  sand.  I  did  not  find  a  gull's  nest  with  more 
than  three  eggs,  and  a  very  few  with  two;  whereas,  several  hollows 
were  found  with  as  many  as  eighteen  terns'  eggs  in  them,  which  had 
rolled  together."  Mr,  Frazar  observed  a  few  colonies  of  this  species 
breeding  in  I^abrador,  nesting  like  other  gulls,  and  the  nests  never 
contained  mc,  than  three  eggs.  These  have  the  usual  variations 
in  color  to  be  xound  in  eggs  of  the  terns  —  bluish-white  to  dark  brown, 
spotted  and  blotched  with  brown  and  lilac  of  various  shades.  Sizes 
from  2.75  to  2.80  long  by  1.60  to  1.75  broad. 

55.    Larus  brachyrhynchus    Rich.    [670.] 

Short-liilled    OnU. 

Hab.     Arctic  America  and  Pacific  coast  to  Southern  California. 

In  the  breeding  season  the  Short-billed  Gull  occurs  in  the  north- 
ern regions  of  North  America.  It  has  been  found  nesting  on  the 
ground  in  the  small  lakes  in  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Anderson,  and  in  the 
Mackenzie  River  Valley.  Breeds  in  great  abundance  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Yukon.  It  also  was  observed  nesting  along  the  streams  in  the 
Barren  Grounds  of  the  Arctic  regions.  Its  nest  is  made  of  hay  or 
wiry  grass,  and  is  sometimes  placed  on  stumps  and  in  trees.  The 
eggs  are  usually  three  in  number ;  greenish  ot  olive  brown,  with  vari- 
ous markings,  but  chiefly  small  spots  of  reddish-umber.  Sizes  vary 
from  2.00  to  2.35  long  by  1.45  to  1.70  broad. 


[56.] 


[671.] 


Larus  canus    Linn. 

Mew  Gnll. 

Hab.    Europe  and  Asia;  accidental  in  Labrador. 

This  is  the  Sea-mew  or  Sea-mall  of  Europe.  In  Great  Britain  it 
breeds  more  or  less  abundantly  along  the  entire  coast,  and  is  especially 
common  on  some  of  the  smaller  islands  in  the  Hebrides ;  on  the 
north  coast  of  Scotland  it  is  found  on  the  Orkney  and  Shetland  Islands. 
It  breeds  on  inland  lakes  as  well  as  on  the  sea-coast,  building  its  nest 
on  the  grassy  summits  of  precipitous  rocks  near  the  sea  or  on  moorland 
locks  far  inland,  and  even  on  high  mountain  ranges.  It  is  abundant  on 
the  coast  and  on  the  fresh-water  lakes  of  Norway.  A  common  species, 
and  breeds  in  nearly  all  parts  of  Central  and  Northern  Russia.  Abund- 
ant on  the  Prussian  coast  and  on  the  northern  coast  of  France.  The 
nests  are  made  of  grass  and  vegetable  substances.  The  usual  num- 
ber of  eggs  is  three;  yellowish-brown,  olive-brown,  and  whitish  to 
greenish-gray,  irregularly  marked  with  dark  brown  and  purplish-gray. 
The  size  varies  from  3.08  to  2.25  long  by  1.40  to  1.58  broad. 


,-  it 


l^: 


ti 


li'"'    ' 


i    i.; 

i        ill- 

! 


il'l!M 


30  NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 

57.    Larns  heermanni    Cass.    [672.]  • 

Heerman's   Onll* 

Hab.    Pacific  coast  ox  North  America,  from  British  Columbia  to  Panama. 

This  is  said  to  be  one  of  the  handsomest  birds  of  the  family  to 
which  it  belongs,  and  is  commonly  called  the  White-headed  Gull.  It 
is  a  common  species  along  the  Californian  coast  and  is  most  abundant 
in  winter.  At  the  Farallone  Islands  it  is  occasionally  seen,  but  does 
not  breed  there.  It  probably  breeds  on  the  Santa  Cruz  and  Santa  Rosa 
Islands,  as  it  does  on  others  farther  south. 

The  general  habits  of  this  species  are  the  same  as  those  of  other 
gulls.  One  particular  trait,  however,  marks  this  species — that  of  fol- 
lowing flocks  of  pelicans  and  robbing  them  of  a  portion  of  the  fish 
which  these  birds  carry  in  their  pouches,  seizing  upon  the  fishes  which 
fall  out  or  hang  outside.  The  food  of  this  Gull  is  almost  exclusively 
fish,  which  it  also  procures  by  diving.  It  also  feeds  ou  small  Crustacea 
and  mollusca.  The  eggs  of  this  species  are  described  as  having  a 
yellowish-drab  ground-color,  over  which  is  scattered  spots  and  mark- 
ings of  lilac  and  different  shades  of  brown.  The  average  size  is  2.45 
by  1.50. 

58.    Larus  atricilla    Linn.    [673.J 

I^anghing  Oull. 

Hab.  Eastern  tropical  and  warm  temperate  America,  chiefly  along  the  sea  coast,  from  Maine  to 
Brazil;  Pacific  coast  and  Middle  America. 

The  Laughing  or  Black-headed  Gull  is  more  of  a  southern 
species,  particularly  one  of  the  Gulf  and  South  Atlantic  States,  but 
is  found  breeding  as  far  north  as  the  coasts  of  New  England.  It  is  an 
abundant  and  a  resident  species  on  the  coasts  of  Florida,  along  the 
whole  extent  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico;  and  also  on  the  Pacific  and 
Atlantic  coasts  of  Central  America.  " 

Mr.  Maynard  says  :  *'  The  notes  of  Gulls  are  loud  and  startling, 
but  those  of  the  Laughing  are  the  most  singular  of  them  all,  for  their 
cries,  especially  when  the  bird  is  excited,  sound  like  loud  peals  of 
prolonged  and  derisive  laughter."* 

Mr.  R.  C.  Stuart,  of  Tampa,  Fla.,  writes  that  this  species  nests  in 
large  communities,  on  grassy  islands  along  the  Gulf  coast  in  May  and 
June,  placing  the  nest  in  tussocks  of  grass ;  the  cavity  is  nicely  lined 
with  fine,  dry  grasses.     The  eggs  are  from  three  to  five  in  number. 

In  color  they  vary  from  bluish-white  to  greenish-ash,  spotted  und 
blotched  with  brown,  umber  and  lilac  of  varying  shades ;  the  usv^al 
variations  in  size,  ground  color  and  markings  are  to  be  found  in  ii 

<'Birds  of  Eastern  North  America. 


U! 


NORTH  AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


31 


the  family  to 
ied  Gull.  It 
3St  abundant 
en,  but  does 
i  Santa  Rosa 

ose  of  other 
-that  of  fol- 
i  of  the  fish 
fishes  which 
exclusively 
ill  Crustacea 
as  having  a 
5  and  mark- 
i  size  is  2.45 


t,  from  Maine  to 

a  southern 
States,  but 
d.  It  is  an 
,  along  the 
Pacific  and 

i  startling, 
11,  for  their 
d  peals  of 

es  nests  in 
a  May  and 
icely  lined 
amber. 
)otted  and 
the  usual 
bund  in  a 


large  series  of  these  eggs;  sizes  from  2.00  to  2.28  long  by  1.50  to 
1.65  broad. 

&9.    Larus  franklinii    Sw.  &  Rich.    [674.] 

Franklin's  GnU. 

Hab.  Interior  of  North  America,  breeding  from  the  northern  border  of  the  United  States  northward; 
south  in  winter  to  Central  and  South  America. 

In  North  America  this  Gull  is  confined  to  the  interior,  chiefly  west 
of  the  Mississippi,  breeding  from  the  northern  border  of  the  United 
States  northward.  Mr.  J.  W.  Preston  found  it  nesting  in  the  marshes 
of  western  Minnesota,  about  the  middle  of  May.*  I  am  informed  by 
Mr.  H.  J.  Wallace  that  it  breeds  abundantly  in  the  marshes  of  the  Red 
River  Valley  of  Western  Manitoba.  He  found  this  beautiful  Gull 
breeding  in  large  communities,  in  marshes  and  wooded  swamps, 
making  its  nest  of  wet  grasses  and  sedges  on  the  tops  of  broken  down 
stalks. 

The  eggs  are  described  as  closely  resembling  those  of  the  Eskimo 
Curlew  in  size,  shape  and  color,  though  the  dark  splashes  are  more 
evenly  distributed  over  the  surface.  The  ground-color  varies  from 
dirty  white  to  olive-drab  and  light  brown,  with  all  the  shades  ot"  the 
lighter  tints  of  green  and  ashy.  They  are  usually  marked  with  numer- 
ous and  bold  splashes  and  zigzag  lines  of  umber-brown  and  different 
depths  of  chocolate,  particularly  at  the  larger  end.  The  eggs  average 
about  2.12  X  1.40 ;  they  are  three  in  number. 

Three  eggs  in  my  possession,  collected  at  Heron  Lake,  Minnesota, 
on  the  9th  of  May,  measure  as  follows:  2.06x1,41,  1.98x1.45,  2.03 x 
1.47.  These  are  olive-drab  with  bold  spots  and  blotches  of  light  and 
dark  brown ;  there  are  no  zigzag  lines. 

60.    Larus  Philadelphia     (Ord.)    [675.] 

Bonaparte's  Onll. 

Hab.  Entire  North  America,  breeding  chiefly  north  of  the  United  States;  south  in  winter  to  Mexico 
and  Central  America. 

This  handsome  little  Gull  is  a  common  species  throughout  North 
America,  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific  coasts.  It  is  especially  abun- 
dant along  the  Atlantic  coast  during  its  periods  of  migration.  Breeds 
Northward,  nearly  to  the  Arctic  Ocean.  Its  flight  is  described  as  being 
light,  airy  and  very  graceful,  resembling  that  of  the  Terns.  Its  prin- 
cipal food  is  small  fish.  On  many  of  the  large  lakes  and  marshes  in 
the  prairie  regions  of  Manitoba  it  breeds  in  great  numbers,  from  thence 
northward  and  throughout  all  parts  of  the  Fur  Countries  it  is  found 
breeding  in  suitable  places.  In  the  marshes  of  the  wooded  regions 
bordering  the  Mackenzie  River  it  breeds  in  the  latter  part  of  June. 

"Ornithologist  and  Oologitt,  Vol.  XI.,  r;>.  6<l-66. 


32 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


M 


;:i: 
i:'.^l 


: 


The  usual  number  of  eggs  laid  is  three,  rarely  four.  The  nests  are 
always  placed  in  elevated  situations,  in  bushes,  trees,  or  on  high  stumps ; 
the  materials  used  are  sticks  and  grasses,  with  a  lining  of  vegetable 
substances.  The  eggs  vary  from  greenish  to  brown,  spotted  and 
blotched  with  brown,  umber  and  lilac  of  various  shades ;  these  mark- 
ings are  chiefly  clustered  around  the  larger  end.     Size,  1.95  x  1.34. 

62.    Xema  sabinil     (Sab.)    [677.] 

Sablne'a  Onll. 

Hab.    Arctic  regions;  in  North  America  south  to  New  York,  the  Great  Lakes  and  Great  Salt  Lake. 

The  Forked-tailed  Gull  breeds  in  the  extreme  northern  portion  of 
North  America  and  Asia,  especially  on  the  islands  of  the  Arctic  Ocean, 
depositing  its  eggs  in  a  depression  of  the  sand,  which  is  generally 
lined  with  bits  of  fine,  dry  grass ;  the  nest  is  also  often  made  in  beds 
of  moss,  with  similar  lining.  This  Gull  is  recorded  as  abundant  in 
the  marshes  in  the  neighborhood  of  St.  Michael's,  Alaska,  where  it 
breeds.  Its  food  consists  of  worms  and  insects,  which  it  obtains  in 
mud  lakes.  On  the  northwestern  coast  of  Greenland,  above  Alison 
Bay,  this  species  has  been  found  breeding,  but  not  in  large  colonies. 
The  eggs  are  two  to  three  in  number.  They  are  of  a  deep  greenish- 
brown,  obscurely  spotted  and  blotched  with  darker  shades  of  the  same ; 
they  very  closely  resemble  those  of  the  Willet  or  Curlew.  The  aver- 
age size  is  1.75  X  1.25. 

63.    Gelochelidon  nilotica     (Hasselq.)    [679.] 

Oull-billecl  Tern. 

Hab.  Nearly  cosmopolitan.  In  North  America  chiefly  along  the  Atlantic  and  Gulf  coasts  of  the  United 
SUtes. 

In  North  America  the  Marsh  Tern,  as  it  is  commonly  called, 
breeds  from  New  Jersey  southward.  On  Cobb's  Island,  Va.,  it  nests 
sparingly  in  the  latter  part  of  June.  Dr.  James  C.  Merrill  and  George 
B.  Sennett  found  a  colony  of  this  species  in  company  with  Sterna 
forsteri^  breeding  on  a  grassy  island,  among  lagoons  and  marshes,  near 
Fort  Brown,  Texas,  May  16,  1877.  The  nests  were  slight  depressions 
among  the  short  grass,  and  the  eggs  were  frequently  wet.*  This  Tern 
breeds  abundantly  on  Pelican  Island,  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  in  the 
latter  part  of  May,  laying  its  eggs  on  the  bare  sand.  Farther  south, 
on  the  islands  along  the  coast  of  Mexico  and  in  the  Bahamas,  it  is 
known  to  nest  in  great  numbers.  The  eggs  are  usually  three  in  num- 
ber, sometimes  four.  They  vary  from  yellowish-buflf  to  greenish, 
spotted  and  blotched  with  yellowish-brown  and  lilac,  especially  about 

^Notes  on  the  Ornithology  of  Southern  Texas. 


he  nests  are 
ligh  stumps ; 
of  vegetable 
spotted  and 
these  mark- 
5x1.34. 


i  Great  Salt  Lake. 

1  portion  of 
:ctic  Ocean, 
s  generally 
ide  in  beds 
bundant  in 
a,  where  it 

obtains  in 
ove  Alison 
re  colonies. 
>  greenish- 
'  the  same ; 

The  aver- 


ts of  the  United 

ily  called, 
L.,  it  nests 
id  George 
th  Sterna 
shes,  near 
-pressions 
["his  Tern 
:o,  in  the 
ler  south, 
3ias,  it  is 
-  in  num- 
greenish, 
lly  about 


Mw. 


m 

m 


m 

ml  !i 


Copyright  iSSb. 


PLATE  II 


PIED-BILLED  GREBES  AND   NEST. 

{Pcdilymbut  fodicepi.) 


Page  6, 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


33 


the  larger  end,  but,  like  the  eggs  of  all  terns,  are  extremely  variable. 
The  average  size  is  1.75x1.30. 

This  is  the  only  species  of  tern  having  the  bill  shaped  in  a  noticea- 
ble degree  like  that  of  a  gull  —  hence  its  common  name. 

Marsh  Tern  is  another  name  by  which  it  is  known,  but  this  is  not 
regarded  as  exactly  correct. 

According  to  the  best  authorities  the  Gull-billed  Tern  is  a  species 
of  wide  distribution  and  is  characteristic  of  no  particular  region,  breed- 
ing alike  in  the  islands  of  the  Indian  Ocean  and  in  those  of  the  Gulf 
of  Mexico,  the  islands  and  the  coasts  of  Jutland  in  Denmark  and 
along  the  coast  and  the  interior  in  the  marshes  and  lagoons  of  southern 
South  America.  A  few  specimens  have  been  taken  on  the  coasts  of 
France  and  Germany,  and  it  is  recorded  as  being  common  in  Hun- 
gary, Greece,  and  Asia  Minor,  where  it  breeds. 

It  is  known  to  breed  in  various  other  portions  of  Southern  Europe, 
and  also  in  the  northern  parts  of  Africa.  Its  flight  is  spoken  of  as  easy 
and  graceful,  partaking  of  the  elegance  which  is  characteristic  of  these 
birds  when  on  the  wing. 

64.    Sterna  tschegrava    Lepech.     [680.] 

Caspian  Tern. 

Hab.  Nearly  cosmopolitan;  in  North  America  brei  ing  southward  to  Virginia,  Lake  Michigan, 
Texas,  Nevada  and  California. 

This  is  the  largest  of  these  elegant  and  graceful  birds,  the  Terns ; 
it  measures  from  twenty  to  twenty-three  inches  in  length!  The  bill  of 
this  bird  in  life  is  of  dark  vermilion-red,  growing  lighter  towards 
the  tip ;  the  pileum  and  occipital  crest  is  glossy,  greenish-black,  ex- 
tending to  the  lower  line  of  the  eyes.  The  back  and  upper  parts 
of  wings  are  pearl-blue,  the  whole  underparts  are  white.  The  legs 
and  feet  are  black.  The  extent  of  wings  in  the  adult  bird  is  from  fifty 
to  fifty-five  inches.  It  is  nearly  cosmopolitan  in  its  distribution,  being 
found  in  greater  or  less  abundance  in  various  portions  of  the  globe. 

At  a  distance  it  is  often  mistaken  for  the  Royal  Tern,  but  may  be 
distinguished  from  the  latter  by  its  more  robust  form  and  less  deeply 
forked  tail. 

The  bird  is  also  known  as  the  Imperial  Tern ;  irregularly  distributed 
throughout  North  America ,  but  chiefly  in  the  Arctic  regions,  where  it 
breeds,  and  along  the  entire  Atlantic  coast.  Eggs  and  young  have 
been  taken  on  Cobb's  Island,  Va.,  in  July.  Dr.  Merrill  observed  it 
breeding  on  Padre  Island,  near  Fort  Brown,  Texas,  in  May.  Mr.  B. 
F.  Goss  found  it  nesting  on  the  islands  of  Lake  Michigan.  Large 
numbers  of  this  species  are  said  to  breed  on  Pelican  Island  in  the 


r'n 


m 


1    Hi' 


34 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


Gulf  of  Mexico.  The  nests  are  mere  hollows  scooped  in  the  dry  sand, 
in  which  the  birds  deposit  two  or  three  eggs.  These  vary  from  white  to 
greenish-buff,  spotted  and  blotched  with  brown  and  lilac  of  different 
shades ;  broader  and  more  elliptical  than  those  of  the  next  species ; 
size  2.66x1.77. 

65.    Sterna  maxima    Bodd.    [681.] 

Royal  Tern. 

Hab.  Tropical  America  and  warmer  parti  of  North  America,  northward  to  Massachusetts,  the  Great 
Lakes  .■\nd  California.    West  coast  of  Africa  north  to  Tangiers. 

This  handsome  Tern,  next  in  size  to  the  Caspian,  breeds  in  large 
colonies  along  the  Atlantic  coast,  from  New  Jersey  southward,  depositing 
from  one  to  three  or  four  eggs  on  the  bare  sand.  It  breeds  abund- 
antly along  the  coasts  and  on  the  marshes  of  Florida.  On  some  of 
the  islands  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  it  nests  in  immense  numbers.  Very 
abundant  on  many  of  the  lagoons  and  marshes  of  Southern  Texas. 

Prof.  Robert  Ridgway  records  the  Royal  Tern  breeding  on  Cobb's 
Island,  Va.,  in  the  first  part  of  July.  In  an  area  of  about  an  eighth 
of  an  acre  the  eggs  were  so  numerous  that  it  was  almost  impossible  to 
walk  through  the  nesting  site  without  crushing  a  greater  or  less  num- 
ber ;  many  of  the  eggs  were  covered  by  the  drifting  sand.* 

The  eggs  are  described  as  being  narrower,  and  especially  more 
pointed  and  rougher,  than  those  of  the  Caspian  Tern.  They  are 
yellowish-drab,  irregularly  blotched  with  dark  umber  and  lilac  of 
various  shades;  sizes  range  from  2.67  to  2.75  long  by  1.70  1.75  broad. 


IHI,, 

1^ 


|l' 


Hab. 


66.    Sterna  elegans    Gamb.    [682.] 

Elegant  Tern. 

Pacific  coast  of  America  from  California  to  Chili. 


Dr.  Coues  describes  this  Tern  as  a  "  truly  elegant  species,  resemb- 
ling the  Royal  Tern,  but  easily  distinguished."  It  is  a  Mexican  and 
Central  American  species,  rarely  occurring  on  the  Californian  coast. 
An  egg  is  described  as  having  a  ground-color  of  pinkish-white,  with 
bold  and  distinct  markings  of  deep  black  and  burnt  sienna  and  subdued 
shell-markings  of  lavender-gray;  size  2.20  by  1.45. 

67.    Sterna  sandvicensis  acuflavida    (Cabot.)   [683. 1 

Galiot's  Tern. 

Hab.    Tropical  America,  northward  along  the  Atlantic  coast,  irregularly,  to  Southern  New  England. 

The  beautiful  Sandwich  Tern  has  an  extensive  distribution.  In 
North  America  it  has  been  observed  as  far  north  as  Southern  New 
England,  and  is  known  by  the  name  of  Ducal  Tern.    Breeds  in  large 

>»Bull.  Nutt.  Club,  Vol.  V,  pp.  221-223.     In  article  on  the  eggs  of  S/erua  taspia. 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


36 


usetts,  the  Great 


colonies,  like  most  of  the  teras,  depositing  the  eggs  in  the  dry  sand. 
It  nests  on  the  small  sandy  islands  off  the  coast  of  Cape  Sable  in  the 
latter  part  of  June.  Breeds  commonly  on  the  coasts  of  Central 
America,  and  on  some  of  the  larger  West  India  islands. 

The  eggs  vary  from  white  to  buff,  irregularly  spotted  and  blotched 
with  brown,  umber,  bluish  and  reddish ;  rather  pointed;  two  or  three 
in  number;  size  about  2.10  by  1.40. 

69.    Sterna  forsteri     Nutt.    [685.] 

Forster'a  Tern. 

Hab,  North  America  generally,  breeding  from  Manitoba  aouthward  to  Virginia,  Illinois,  Texas,  and 
California ;  in  winter  southward  to  Brazil. 

Like  all  the  terns,  this  one  is  noted  for  its  graceful  flight  and,  with 
them,  it  shares  the  name  of  Sea  Swallow — a  name  which  belongs  more 
particularly  to  the  next  species. 

Forster's  Tern  was  once  thought  to  breed  only  in  the  interior  of 
North  America.  The  above  habitat,  however,  indicates  clearly  the 
range  throughout  which  this  species  is  found  breeding  in  all  suitable 
places.  It  nests  on  the  grassy  islands  among  the  lagoons  and  marshes 
of  Southern  Texas,  thence  northward  irregularly  to  British  America. 
In  Manitoba,  on  the  islands  and  marshes  of  the  lakes  and  rivers,  it 
nests  abundantly.  Breeds  in  colonies,  oiten  in  company  with  the 
Common  and  Gull-billed  Terns,  the  Laughing  and  Bonaparte's  Gulls. 
When  its  nesting  places  are  disturbed  it  is  said  to  be  very  noisy,  utter- 
ing a  grating,  monotonous  note,  and  at  the  same  time  attacking  the 
intruder  on  all  sides,  often  darting  close  to  his  head.  In  some  localities 
this  species  constructs  its  nest  in  a  turf  of  dry  grass,  upon  the  sand,  or 
among  stones.  It  breeds  chiefly  in  grassy  marshes,  building  its  nest  of 
flags,  water-plants,  lining  them  with  finer  reeds.  The  eggs  are  two  or 
three  in  number,  with  an  average  size  of  1.85x1.35.  In  color  they 
vary  from  nearly  pure  white  and  pale  green  to  warm  brownish-drab, 
irregularly  spotted  and  blotched  with  brown,  umber  and  lilac. 

[686.] 


In  North  America  chiefly  confined  to 


70.    Sterna  hlrundo    Linn. 

Common  Tern. 

Hab.    Greater  part  of  the  Northern  Hemisphere  and  Africa, 
the  Eastern  Pruvince,  breeding  variously  throughout  its  range. 

Sea  Swallow,  Wilson's  Tern,  Red-shank,  "Mackerel  Gull"  and 
"Summer  Gull"  are  the  names  by  which  this  beautiful  species  is 
known  in  various  localities.  It  is  an  abundant  bird  throughout  its 
North  American  range,  breeding  on  many  of  the  inland  lakes  and 
marshes  as  well  as  along  the  coasts.  In  various  places  on  the  Atlantic 
coast  it  breeds  in  company  with  other  species,  such  as  Forster's,  Arctic, 


1 

■■' 

11 
1 

i 

1 

jl'' 

' ' 

'■'::  i 
I'll  '' 

1 

t 

36 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


and  Roseate  Terns,  the  Laughing  Gull  and  others.  Mr.  W.  W.  Worth- 
ington,  of  Shelter  Island,  New  York,  writes  me  the  following : 

"Although  a  few  Wilson's  Terns  breed  on  nearly  every  sandy 
point  near  here,  Gull  Island,  situated  a  mile  or  so  cast  of  Plum  Island, 
is  their  chief  breeding  ground  in  this  section.  Here  they  breed  by 
thousands,  fairly  filling  the  air  when  you  land  and  disturb  them.  Their 
nests  are  always  placed  on  the  ground  or  rocks,  and  are  usually  com- 
posed of  a  few  pieces  of  grass  and  seaweed.  They  place  their  nests 
all  over  the  Island  above  high  water  line,  on  the  beach,  on  the  sides  of 
the  bluflfs,  all  around,  and  in  the  garden  cultivated  by  the  light-house 
keeper.  Fresh  eggs  can  be  obtained  there  from  the  loth  of  June  to 
the  middle  of  July,  as  egging  parties  keep  them  cleaned  off  about  as 
fast  as  they  are  laid.  I  collected  a  set  of  /our  eggs  of  this  species  on 
Gull  Island,  last  spring  (i88i),  which  is  the  only  set  I  ever  saw  con- 
taining more  than  three  eggs,  which  is  the  usual  number  laid." 

The  eggs  vary  from  greenish  to  deep  brown,  spotted  and  blotched 
with  brown,  blackish  and  lilac;  they  vary  in  length  from  1.49  to  1.75 
by  1. 18  to  1.30  broad. 

71.     Sterna  paradisBBa    Brunn.    [687. "I 

Arctic  Tern. 

Hab.  Northern  Hemisphere;  in  North  America  breeding  from  Massachusetts  to  the  Arctic  regions 
•nd  wintering  southward  to  Virginia  and  California. 

In  its  general  appearance  and  habits,  its  mode  of  nesting,  flight, 
and  other  characteristics,  this  species  closely  resembles  the  Common 
Tern.  Its  distribution  is,  however,  more  northern,  breeding  in  the 
most  northern  latitude,  where  6".  hirundo  is  found  only  in  limited  num- 
bers.    The  eggs  are  indistinguishable. 


;r:.;iii. 


v._ 


72.    Sterna  dougalli    Montag.    [688.] 

Roseate  Tern. 

Hab.  Temperate  and  tropical  regions;  north  on  the  Atlantic  coast  of  North  America  to  Massachu- 
setts, and  casually  to  Maine. 

On  the  Atlantic  coast  of  North  America  this  beautiful  species  is 
found  breeding  from  Maine  southward  to  Florida.  It  is  known  also 
by  the  name  of  Paradise  Tern.  On  some  of  the  islands  of  the  New 
England  coast  this  species  breeds  in  abundance,  notably  on  Muskegat, 
Nantucket,  Martha's  Vineyard  and  Elizabeth  Islands.  In  many  places 
it  breeds  in  colonies  with  the  Common  and  Arctic  Terns  and  the 
Laughing  Gull.  On  a  small  island,  called  Goose  Island,  about  three- 
quarters  of  an  acre  in  extent,  situated  in  Long  Island  Sound,  and  a 
short  distance  from  Faulkner's  Island,  Mr.  M.  B.  Griffing  found  this 
species  nesting  in  abundance.    The  high  land  is  from  two  to  six  feet 


NORTH  AMKRICAN  BIRDS. 


37 


e  Arctic  regions 


a  to  Massachu- 


above  the  beach,  and  is  covered  with  a  thick  growth  of  weeds  and 
grass ;  in  this  some  of  the  nests  were  concealed ;  others  were  in  plain 
sight;  they  were  so  numerous  as  to  fairly  cover  the  ground.  They 
were  nothing  more  than  slight  hollows  lined  with  dry  grass,  and  con- 
tained usually  two  eggs.  Mr.  Griffing  says  he  is  satisfied  that  this  is 
the  usual  number  laid  by  this  species,  as  there  were  but  two  sets  con- 
taining three  eggs  in  the  hundreds  of  nests  observed ;  incubation  had 
begun  in  nearly  every  set,  and  many  were  almost  hatched.  Some  of 
the  eggs  were  laid  on  the  shore  just  above  high  water  mark. 

Mr.  Griffing  says  that  the  eggs  differ  from  those  of  the  Common 
Tern,  being  less  pointed  at  the  small  end ;  the  markings  are  usually 
much  finer  and  more  numerous.  By  placing  a  tray  of  the  eggs  of 
each  species  side  by  side  the  difference  is  very  marked.  They  vary  in 
size  from  1.55  to  1.75  in  length  by  i.io  to  1.25  in  breadth.  Mr.  Griffing 
states  the  birds  are  very  noisy  when  their  nests  are  being  disturbed ; 
hovering  overhead  they  utter  a  harsh  gutteral  cry,  peculiar  to  the 
species.  They  also  have  a  note  which  sounds  like  the  syllable  tip^  tip^ 
tip. 

73.  Sterna  aleutica    Baird.    [689.] 

Aleutian  Tern. 

Hab.    Coast  of  Alaska,  from  the  Island  of  Kadiak  to  Norton  Sound. 

This  Tern  has  been  found  nesting  in  various  parts  of  Alaska; 
on  the  Island  of  Kadiak,  and  on  some  of  the  Eastern  Aleutian  Islands. 
So  far  as  known,  its  habits  do  not  differ  essentially  from  those  of  other 
terns.  The  eggs  measure  from  1.65  to  1.85  long  by  no  to  1. 15  broad. 
They  have  a  ground  color,  varying  from  brownish-white  to  greenish- 
olive,  with  bold  marking  of  light  reddish  and  chestnut  brown. 

74.  Sterna  antillarum    (Less).    [690.] 

Leaat  Tern. 

Hab.  Northern  South  America,  north  to  California  and  New  England,  and  casually  to  Labrador,  breed- 
ing nearly  throughout  its  range. 

This  pretty  little  Sea  Swallow  breeds  on  the  Island  of  Cuba,  and 
other  islands  of  the  West  Indies,  along  the  coasts  of  Central  America 
and  Mexico.  Mr.  Stuart  says  it  breeds  abundantly  on  the  white  sand 
beaches  of  the  Gulf  Coast,  and  on  the  islands  of  the  Atlantic  coast  of 
Florida.    The  eggs  are  laid  on  the  bare  sand  in  May  and  June. 

The  *'  Little  Striker,"  as  it  is  called,  is  found  nesting  on  the  At- 
lantic coast  as  far  north  as  Massachusetts ;  a  few,  however,  breed  a 
little  farther  north.  The  eggs  are  difficult  to  observe  on  the  breeding 
grounds,  their  color  being  very  similar  to  the  sand  and  broken  shells 
in  which  they  are  laid.    They  are  two  or  three,  and  seldom  four  in 


1  r. 


I 


s 

•M- 

I 


il 


i;:- 


mil  ;! 


38 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


number.  They  vary  from  pale  greenish  to  drab  or  buff,  spotted  and 
blotched  pretty  evenly  with  brown,  umber  and  lilac  of  various  shades, 
with  an  occasional  tinge  of  yellowish ;  in  some  the  markings  tend  to 
form  a  wreath  about  the  larger  half.     The  average  size  is  1.25X.95. 


75.    Sterna  fallginosa    Gmel. 

Sooty  Tom. 


[691.1 


•  om  Chili  to  Western  Mexico  and 


Hab.    Tropical  and  sub-tropical  consts  of  the  Globe.     In  Am 
the  Carolinas;  casually  to  New  England. 

The  Sooty  Tern  is  found  both  in  temperate  and  tropical  regions 
almost  everywhere  throughout  the  world.  It  breeds  abundantly  on 
the  rocky  islets  off  the  coast  of  the  Island  of  St.  Helena,  and  on  Ascen- 
sion Island,  which  is  farther  north  and  west ;  in  favorite  spots  at  the 
latter  place  it  is  said  to  breed  in  countless  numbers.  The  eggs  are  re- 
garded by  some  as  a  great  delicacy,  and  are  so  numerous  that  they  are 
an  important  article  of  commerce. 

This  species  is  said  to  be  semi-nocturnal  in  its  habits,  being  able 
to  fly  by  night  as  well  as  by  day,  going  out  to  sea  to  feed  long  before 
daylight.  It  is  "  the  egg-bird  "  of  Jamaica.  Breeds  on  the  islands  in 
the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  about  the  middle  of  May,  nd  on  the  small  islands 
south  of  Key  West,  Fla.,  early  in  May. 

In  some  places  the  eggs  are  deposited  l  e  bare  ground  or  on 
rocks ;  in  others  a  nest  is  made  in  the  long  grass  under  bushes.  This 
species  lays  but  a  single  egg.  Audubon  states  that  the  Sooty  Tern 
always  lays  three  eggs,  but  more  recent  observers  say  that  in  thousands 
of  nests  examined  there  were  only  two  instances  of  two  eggs  being 
found  together.  It  is  a  handsome  egg,  pinkish  or  creamy  white,, 
spotted  and  blotched  with  a  rich  reddish -brown,  tinged  with  lilac. 
Sizes  vary  from  1.95  to  2.12  long  by  1.45  to  1.50  broad. 


Hab. 


[76.]    Sterna  ansethetus    Scop. 

Bridled   Tern. 

Tropical  regions;  casual  in  Florida. 


[692.] 


The  Bridled  Tern  is  especially  abundant  in  the  West  India  Islands, 
where  it  is  the  "  egg-bird  "  par  excellence^  and  is  often  confounded  with 
the  Sooty  Tern.  It  is  noted  for  its  social  peculiarities,  always  nesting 
in  company  with  the  Roseate,  Sooty  and  Noddy  Terns.  The  single 
egg  of  this  species  is  deposited  on  ledges  of  rocks  or  in  the  cavities 
among  loose  bowlders  along  the  sea-shore.  The  egg  has  a  ground- 
color of  a  rich  cream,  with  large  blotches  and  smaller  spots  of  reddish- 
brown,  with  confluent  shell-markings  of  dull  lilac.  The  blotches  are 
usually  confluent  at  the  large  end,  while  others  are  scattered  over  the 
entire  surface.    Average  size  about  2.05  x  1.42. 


estern  Mexico  and 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS.  89 

77.    Hydrochelidon  nigra  surlnamensis    (Gmbl.)    [693]. 

Bl«ok  Tern. 

Hab.  Temperate  and  tropical  America,  from  Alaska  and  fur  countries  into  South  America;  bread- 
ing from  the  Middle  United  State*  northward. 

The  Black  or  Short-tailed  Tern  is  distributed  throughout  North 
America  at  large,  both  along  the  coast  and  in  the  interior ;  breeding 
anywhere  in  colonies,  in  marshes  and  reedy  sloughs,  where  it  deposits 
the  eggs  on  dead  reeds,  which  are  often  floating.  It  is  known  to  breed 
abundantly  in  various  marshes  of  Michigan,  Wisconsin,  Minnesota, 
Dakota,  Oregon  and  California.  It  has  exceedingly  long  wings,  and  in 
its  pursuit  of  insects  in  the  air  its  flight  and  evolutions  resemble  those 
of  a  swallow.  Mr.  Frank  W.  Langdon  observed  this  species  to  be  a 
very  common  summer  resident  of  a  marsh  in  Northern  Ohio.*  He 
found  it  '*  nesting,  or  rather  laying  its  eggs,  on  the  little  islands  of 
decaying  vegetation  and  mud  formed  by  sunken  muskrat  houses. 
Three  eggs  constitute  a  full  set,  and  they  are  apparently  rolled  about 
in  the  mud  purposely  until  well  coated,  so  as  to  hide  the  markings, 
and  thereby  make  them  less  conspicuous."  Mr.  I^angdon  says  that  in 
two  or  three  instances  an  attempt  at  nest  building  was  noticeable,  con- 
sisting merely  of  a  few  fragments  of  grasses,  so  disposed  as  to  prevent 
the  eggs  from  rolling.  Two  broods  are  reared  in  a  season,  as  eggs 
were  taken  in  ^Tay,  and  Mr.  Langdon  cpllected  fresh  eggs  in  July. 
They  vary  fron.  brown  to  greenish;  thickly  spotted  and  blotched 
with  brown  and  lilac  of  various  sizes,  but  mostly  bold,  large  and  of 
light  and  blackish  brown,  thickest  around  the  larger  end.  They  re- 
semble some  of  the  sandpipers'  eggs  in  size,  shape  and  color.  Average 
size  1.35  X  .98. 

78.    Hydrochelidon  leucoptera    (Meisn  &  Schinz.)    [694] 

'White-winged    Black   Tern. 

Hab,    Eastern  Hemisphere;  accidental  in  North  America. 

A  single  example  of  this  European  species  was  taken  on  Lake 
Koshkonong,  Wisconsin,  in  the  first  week  of  July,  1873.  The  ovaries 
of  this  specimen  contained  small  eggs.  It  occurs  occasionally  in  Great 
Britain,  and  is  accidental  in  Sweden.  On  the  lakes,  rivers  and 
marshes  of  the  countries  of  the  Alps  it  is  said  to  be  very  common, 
and  also  in  the  bays  and  inlets  of  the  Mediterranean  Sea.  Its 
nesting  and  general  habits  are  said  to  be  like  those  of  H.  nigra 
surinamensis.  The  eggs,  however,  as  a  general  rule,  have  a  lighter 
ground  color,  and  average  slightly  larger  than  those  of  the  American 
bird. 

<■  Summer  Lirds  of  a  Northern  Ohio  Marsh. 


!:*, 
I 


40 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OP 


vv 


■Mil!   i 


I 


( 


ill 


79.    Anons  stolidns  (Linn.)    [695.] 

Noddy. 

Hab.  Tropical  and  sub-tropical  regions;  in  America,  from  Brazil  and  Chili  north  to  the  Gulf  and 
South  Atlantic  States. 

Dr.  Brewer  says :  **  The  common  Noddy  Tern  appears  to  be  an 
inter-tropical  species,  and  to  be  found  round  the  entire  surface  of  the 
globe,  both  north  and  south  of  the  equator,  at  a  distance  from  it  of 
rarely  exceeding  thirty  degrees  north  or  south."  On  the  Island  of 
St.  Helena  it  is  a  common  species,  and  it  also  breeds  on  Ascension 
Island.  It  breeds  in  profusion  on  several  of  the  West  Indies.  On  the 
Bahamas  the  nests  are  built  of  sticky,  leaves  and  grai,j,  and  they  are 
placed  in  the  branches  of  trees.  In  some  of  the  islands  of  the  tropics 
this  species  places  its  nest  on  the  top  branches  of  cocoanut  trees  and 
the  outer  branches  of  mangroves.  It  lays  but  a  single  egg;  this  will 
vary  from  ashy-yellow  to  bufiF  or  cream  color.  The  spots  are  small 
and  scattered,  dark  chestnut,  with  subdued  shell-markings  of  lavender 
gray;  average  size  2.00 x  1.35. 

80.    Rynchops  nigra    Linn.    [  656.] 

Black  Skimmer. 

Hab.  Warmer  parts  of  America,  north  on  the  Atlantic  coast  to  Nery  Jersey,  and  casually  to  the  Bay 
of  Fundy. 

In  summer  the  Black  Skimmer  is  abundantly  distributed  from 
New  Jersey  southward,  and  is  strictly  maritime.  It  may  be  known  by 
its  singularly  shaped  bill,  the  under  mandible  of  which  is  much  longer 
than  the  upper,  and  compressed  like  a  knife  blade,  the  end  being  ob- 
tuse. The  bird  seems  to  feed  as  it  skims  low  over  the  water,  the  under 
mandible  grazing  the  surface.  L^ike  the  terns,  the  Skimmers  breed  in 
communities. 

This  species  is  known  by  several  names,  such  as  "  Razor-bill," 
"Cut-water,"  " Shear- water,"  "Sea  Crow"  and  "Sea  Dog;"  the  latter 
name  it  receives  from  its  cries,  which  resemble  somewhat  the  barking 
of  a  dog. 

It  breeds  on  Cobb's  Island,  Va.,  in  the  last  of  June.  Mr.  R.  C. 
Stuart  informs  me  that  this  species  nests  along  the  Gulf  coast  of  Flori- 
da in  May  and  June,  depositing  in  hollows  of  the  sand  from  three  to 
five  eggs.  He  says  he  has  frequently  taken  sets  containing  five  eggs. 
Mr.  C.  S.  Shick,  of  Sea  Isle  City,  N.  J.,  writes  me  that  he  has  taken 
eggs  as  early  as  May  26,  on  the  New  Jersey  coast.  His  experience  is 
that  four  eggs  are  oftener  laid  than  three,  which  is  generally  stated  to 
be  the  usual  number.  The  eggs  are  among  the  most  beautiful  of  all 
eggs ;  they  are  white  and  pale  buff,  rather  coarsely  spotted  and  blotched 
with  brown,  blackish-umber  and  lilac  of  varying  shades,  with  neutral- 


,  ^.. 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


41 


I  to  the  Gulf  and 


tint  shell  blotclies;  sizes  range  from  1.65  to  1.98  in  length  by  1.31 
to  1.40  in  breadth. 

**Diomedea  exulans   Linn. 

.  'Wandering  Albatron. 

Hab,  Southern  seal,  north  very  irregularly  to  Florida  (Tampa  Bay)  and  coast  of  Washington  Ter- 
ritory. 

This  Albatross  wanders  over  the  vast  waters  of  southern  seas 
ranging  as  far  north  on  the  Atlantic  coast  of  Africa  as  the  Canary 
Islands,  on  that  of  South  America  to  Trinidad  Island  and  beyond. 
The  bird  has  been  taken  in  Europe,  and  it  is  admitted  to  the  North 
American  fauna  on  the  grounds  of  its  occurrence  as  stated  in  the  hab- 
itat. It  has  been  found  breeding  on  various  islands  of  the  South  At- 
lantic and  Indian  Oceans,  on  Prince  Edwards,  Crozete,  and  Kergue- 
len  Islands  lying  southeast  of  Africa,  and  on  the  Island  of  Tristan  d' 
Acunda  to  the  southwest.  At  the  latter  place  it  breeds  in  January, 
nesting  on  the  highest  ledges  of  the  cliffs.  Dr.  J.  H.  Kidder  met  with 
a  number  of  these  birds  nesting  on  Kerguelen  Island  on  the  2nd  of 
January.  The  nests  were  upon  tall  mounds,  built  up  of  grass  to  the 
height  of  two  or  more  feet  from  the  ground,  and,  being  of  different 
heights,  seemed  to  have  been  used  again  and  added  to  year  after  year. 
Dr.  Kidder  counted  twenty-three  birds  in  sight  at  one  time,  each 
perched  upon  its  nest.  Driven  from  the  nests  and  compelled  to  walk, 
the  birds  looked  not  unlike  overgrown  geese.* 

The  single  egg  is  white,  minutely  sprinkled  over  the  large  end 
with  brownish.  Various  specimens  measure  from  4.80  to  5.21  long  by 
3.08  to  3.25  broad;  the  average  size  is  about  4.79 x  3.15. 

81. 


Hab. 


Diomedea  nigripes    Aud.    [700.] 

Blaok-footed  Albatroia. 

North  Pacific,  including  west  coast  of  North  America, 


The  Black-footed  Albatross  is  an  abundant  bird  of  the  North 
Pacific  Ocean.  Like  others  of  this  family,  it  is  noted  for  its  protracted 
powers  of  flight,  following  vessels  for  hundreds  of  miles  and  subsisting 
on  the  refuse  thrown  overboard,  which,  with  crabs,  etc.,  is  its  main  food. 

Very  little  is  known  concerning  the  nesting  habits  of  this  species. 
It  is  said  to  breed  on  the  small  guano  islands  south-west  of  the  Sand- 
wich group  in  the  North  Pacific,  depositing  a  single  white  egg  in  a 
depression  of  the  soil,  surrounded  with  a  little  sea-weed. 

82.    Diomedea  albatrus    Pall.     [701.] 

Short-tallad   AlbatroM. 

Hab.     Pacific  Ocean,  including  western  coast  of  America,  northward  to  Bering  Sea. 

This  Albatross  inhabits  the  Pacific  Ocean  at  large.     It  breeds  on 

*  Bulletin  No.  2,  United  States  National  Museum,  p.  20. 


Ii 


i'^ 


42 


NESTS  AND   EGGS  OF 


the  lonely  islands  west  of  the  Sandwich  group.  It  is  also  supposed  to 
breed  on  some  of  the  islands  off  the  coast  of  China  and  Japan  and  on 
some  of  the  Aleutian  Islands.  This  species  requires  many  years  before 
it  attains  perfect  plumage,  but  the  young  are  said  to  be  easily  distin- 
guished from  nigripes.  It  is  a  constant  attendant  of  whaling  vessels, 
feeding  on  the  scraps  of  blubber  or  refuse  thrown  from  the  ships.  It  is 
easily  caught  with  hook  and  line,  and  when  taken  on  board  is  said 
to  be  unable  to  rise  from  the  deck,  as  it  requires  a  long  range  of  surface 
on  which  to  flap  its  wings.  The  single  egg  which  this  species  deposits 
is  white,  equal-ended,  and  measures  4.20  x  2.60.  It  is  laid  on  the  bare 
ground. 

[83.]    Thalassogeron  culmlnatus    (Gould.)    [702.] 

Yello'^-sosed    Albatross. 

Hab.     Indian  and  South  Pacific  Oceans;  casual  off  the  coast  of  Oregon. 

Supposed  to  be  a  rate  visitant  on  the  Pacific  coast  north  of  the 
equator.  A  dead  specimen  answering  the  description  of  this  species 
was  washed  up  on  the  beach  near  the  Golden  Gate,  and  an  e.:- 
ample  is  said  to  have  been  taken  as  far  north  as  the  mouth  of  the 
Columbia  River,  Oregon.  It  breeds  on  the  islands  of  the  Southern 
Indian  and  South  Pacific  Oceans.     A  single  egg  is  laid. 

Mr.  J.  Parker  Norris  has  a  specimen  of  the  egg  of  this  species, 
which  was  collected  by  Captain  Thomas  B.  Lynch,  at  Diego  Ramirey 
Islands,  near  Cape  Horn,  February  8,  1886.  It  measures  4.30  x  2.72, 
and  is  dull  white,  faintly  speckled  with  lavender  and  purplish.  The 
specks  form  an  indistinct  wreath  at  the  larger  end,  in  the  same  manner 
that  the  eggs  of  Leach's  Petrel  are  often  marked.  In  fact,  Mr.  Norris 
says  that  this  specimen  looks  like  an  egg  of  the  latter  seen  through  a 
powerful  magnifying  glass.  Incubation  in  this  case  was  slightly 
advanced.  The  nest  consisted  of  mud  scraped  together  in  a  heap  on 
the  ground.  Mr.  Emerson  has  an  egg  of  this  Albatross  which  meas- 
ures 4.68x2.68;  it  was  taken  by  Captain  Lynch  at  Diegos  Kavnen's 
rocks,  S.  by  E.  fifty-two  miles  from  Cape  Horn,  January  12,  1880.  The 
egg  was  fresh.  The  nest  was  composed  of  grass  and  mud  on  the  out- 
side, and  lined  with  fine  grass  and  feathers.  The  diameter  outside  at 
the  top  12  inches,  and  at  the  base  18.  Inside  it  wa-i  10  inches  broad 
by  5  deep.     It  was  built  on  the  top  of  rocks  on  a  loamy  plain. 

The  data  accompanying  ^^  r.  Emerson's  specimen  states  that  the 
nests  are  placed  close  together,  and  they  are  very  nicely  and  solidly 
built,  lasting  two  or  three  seasons  even  in  that  hot  climate.*  Prof. 
Ridgway  gives  the  average  size  of  the  egg  as  4.18  x  2.63. 

tOrnithologist  and  Oologist,  Vol.  XI,  pp.  ^1-22. 


NORTH  AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


43 


84.    PhoBbetria  faliginosa     (Gm.)    [703.] 

Sooty    AlbatroBB. 

Hab.    Oceans  of  the  Southern  Hemisphere,  northward  to  the  coast  of  Oregon. 

A  great  ocean  wanderer,  more  common  in  the  South  than  in  the 
North  Pacific  regions.  A  rare  visitor  to  the  coasts  of  North  America. 
This  dusky  species  breeds  on  the  islands  off  the  coast  of  China  and 
southward.  It  nests  commonly  on  the  islands  that  lie  southeast  of 
Africa,  namely,  Prince  Edwards,  Crozete,  Kerguelen  Islands  and  others. 
Here  they  breed  in  October  and  November,  placing  the  nest  in  the 
cavity  of  some  high,  perpcdicular  rock.  The  nest  is  a  conical  mound, 
7  or  8  inches  high,  hollowed  at  the  top  and  rudely  lined  with  grass.  The 
single  egg  which  this  species  lays  is  described  as  white,  very  long  in 
proportion  to  its  thickness  ;  sometimes  it  is  marked  with  spots  about 
the  larger  end ;  size  3.95  x  2.63.  The  cries  of  this  Albatross  are  said  to 
be  very  loud,  and  not  unlike  the  calls  of  a  cat. 


85.    Ossifraga  gif?antea    (Gm.)    [704.] 

Giant  Fulmar. 

Hab.    Southern  oceans;  casual  off  the  coast  of  Oregon. 

The  largest  of  the  Petrels,  known  as  "Mother  Gary's  Goose,'* 
*'  Giant  Petrel"  and  "  Bone-breaker."  In  size  it  equals  many  of  the 
Albatrosses,  measuring  about  three  feet  in  length,  with  a  spread  of 
wings  measuring  seven  feet.  The  Albatrosses  and  Petrels  are  noted 
birds,  of  gull-like  form,  variegated  with  black  and  white  or  uniformly 
sooty  in  color.  They  are  birds  of  the  ocean,  rarely  landing  except  to 
breed.  Among  the  seamen  and  whalers  this  large  species  is  known  as 
"Molly-hawk,"  "Gong,"  "Glutton  Bird"  "Nelly."  It  breeds  on 
the  islands  of  the  South  Seas  —  Bouvets,  Prince  Edwards,  Crozete 
and  Kerguelen  Islands  are  some  of  its  breeding  places.  Said  to 
breed  late  in  December,  making  the  nest  on  elevated  ground  some  dis- 
tance from  the  sea.  The  Giant  Fulmer  Petrel  also  nests  on  the  Falk- 
land Islands,  which  lie  east  of  the  entrance  of  the  Strait  of  Magellan 
in  Southern  South  America. 

Dr..  J.  H.  Kidder  found  this  species  in  considerable  numbers  in 
the  vicinity  of  Kerguelen  Island,  feeding  on  the  carcass  of  the  sea- 
elephant.  Its  voracity  and  filthy  habits  reminded  him  strongly  of 
the  vultures.  Like  vultures,  the  birds  so  crammed  themselves  that 
they  were  unable  to  rise  from  the  ground.*  The  egg  is  described  as 
dirty  white  in  color,  rough  to  the  touch,  and  its  shape  like  that  of  a 
common  goose ;   size  4.25  x  2.66. 

■'''  Bulletin  of  the  National  Museum  No.  2,  page  24. 


ifti'' 


•Ki 


liiiiii 


I 


if'*: 


44  NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 

86.     Fnlmarus  glacialis    (Linn.)    [705.] 

Fulmar. 

Hab.    North  Atlantic,  south  on  the  American  coast  to  Massachusetts. 

This  species  is  commonly  called  Fulmar  Petrel.  It  is  found  in 
light  and  dark  phases  of  dress.  Abundant  in  the  North  Atlantic  and 
in  the  Arctic  Oceans  of  America,  Europe  and  sia.  The  Fulmars 
constantly  attend  whaling  ships  out  at  sea  and  feed  on  the  blubber  of 
the  whale,  which  they  devour  with  voracity.  This  species  is  exceed- 
ingly numerous  in  the  North  Atlantic,  congregating  in  thousands  at 
St.  Kilda,  the  most  western  of  the  Hebrides,  on  the  west  coast  of  Scot- 
land. Others  of  its  favorite  breeding  places  are  the  Faroes,  which  are 
farther  north ;  Iceland,  Spitzbergen  and  Greenland. 

On  some  of  the  rocky  islands  ofiF  the  coast  of  Spitzbergen  thou- 
sands of  Fulmars  breed  in  company  with  Brunnich's  Guillemot,  Black 
Guillemot,  and  the  Kittiwake  Gull.  The  abundance  of  the  Fulmar 
at  some  of  its  breeding  places  in  Greenland  is  something  astonishing, 
nesting  as  they  do  in  myriads  on  the  inaccessible  cliffs  in  mountain- 
ous places,  depositing  the  single  white  egg  in  the  crevices  or  on  the 
ledges  of  rocks  f?.  jing  the  sea.  The  young  are  at  first  fed  by  regurg- 
itation, upon  oil  which  is  of  a  clear,  amber  color.  This  the  birds,  old 
and  young,  vomit  upon  the  slightest  provocation,  imparting  to  them, 
their  nests,  and  even  their  breeding  grounds  a  disagreeable  odor.  The 
oil  is  one  of  the  important  commercial  productions  of  St.  Kilda. 
The  single  egg  is  pure  white;  in  shape  resembling  a  hen's;  shell 
brittle.  Four  eggs  from  Iceland  measure  2.96  by  2.04,  2.74  by  2.91, 
2.99  by  2.02,  2.97  by  2.01. 

Besides  the  typical  ^.  glacialis  in  the  Atlantic,  there  is  also  a 
smaller  race,  F.  g.  minora  Lesser  Fulmar,*  which  occurs  as  far  south 
on  the  American  side  as  the  coast  of  New  England. 

86^.    Pulmarus  glacialis  glupischa    Stejn.    [7osa.] 

Paoiflo  Fulmar. 

Hab.    North  Pacific,  south  on  the  American  coast  to  Mexico. 

This  race  is  also  known  in  light  and  dark  phases  of  plumage.  Dr. 
Leonhard  Stejneger  found  it  breeding  in  enormous  numbers  in  suitable 
places  on  the  islands  in  Bering  Sea  off"  the  coast  of  Kamtschatka. 
Their  rookeries  were  in  high  and  steep  rocky  bluffs  and  promontories, 
rising  out  of  the  sea  300  to  800  feet.  Dr.  Stejneger  says:  "I  have 
spent  hours  under  their  rookeries  listening  to  their  whining  voice  and 
watching  their  high  and  elegant  flight  in  sailing  out  and  in  and  around 
the  cracked  rocks,  like  bees  at  an  immense  bee-hive."    The  egg  is 

«  No.  86a,  A.  O.  U.  Check  List. 


NORTH  AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


45 


single  and  pure  white.  Five  eggs  collected  on  Copper  Island,  July 
I2th  and  i3tli,  exhibit  the  following  dimensions:  75  by  49,  71.5  by 
48.5,  71.5  by  51,  68  by  50,  71.5  by  48.5  mm*  These  eggs  all  belonged 
to  the  dark  phase  of  birds. 

SQc    Fnlmarus  glaclalls  rodgersii    (Cass).    [705/J.] 

Rodger's  Fnlmar. 

Hab.     Berlnt  Sea. 

Rodger's  Fulmar  is  similar  to  the  preceding,  but  there  is  no  dark 
phase  known.  Its  habitat  seems  to  be  restricted  to  the  islands  of 
Bering  Sea  and  some  portions  of  the  North  Pacific,  nesting  especially 
in  great  abundance  on  the  islands  of  the  Prybilof  group.  Its  general 
habits,  nesting,  eggs,  etc.,  are  the  same  as  those  of  the  preceding. 
Size  of  egg  2.83X  1.91. 

89.    Pufflnus  major    Faber    [709.] 

Greater  Shearwater. 

Hab.    Atlantic  Ocean. 

A  wanderer  over  the  entire  Atlantic  Ocean,  and  sometimes  seen  in 
immense  flocks  skimming  the  billows  in  its  light  and  graceful  manner, 
similar  to  the  smaller  Petrels.  Its  flight  is  described  as  most  beautiful, 
gliding  as  it  does  through  the  air  without  visible  motion  of  its  wings. 
It  also  swims  and  dives  with  ease.  Common  Atlantic  and  Wandering 
Shearwater  are  other  names  by  which  it  is  known. 

There  appears  to  be  very  little  knowledge  in  the  regard  to  the 
nesting  habits  of  the  Greater  Shearwater.  It  is  known,  however,  to 
breed  in  the  islands  of  the  North  Atlantic  and  is  often  confounded  with 
other  species  of  Shearwaters. 

Dr.  Brewer  describes  an  egg  of  this  bird,  collected  on  an  island  of 
South  Greenland,  as  being  nearly  oval  in  shape,  with  a  ground  color, 
originally  white,  but  soiled  by  the  peaty  black  earth  from  which  it  was 
excavated;  size  2.88x2.00.  Another  from  the  same  locality  is  of 
smaller  size,  and  vellowish-white,  which  measures  2.75  x  1.85. 

[90.]       Pufflnus  pufflnus    (Bkunk).     [711.] 

Manx  Shearwater. 

Hab.     North  Atlantic,  chiefly  the  eastern  side;  rare  or  casual  off  the  North  American  coast  {?). 

In  many  places  in  the  regions  of  the  Mediterranean  and  Adriatic 
Seas  and  the  Grecian  ii/^hipelago  this  is  a  common  species.  It  is  said 
to  wander  to  Greenland.  Breeds  on  the  islands  of  Pantellaria,  Gozo, 
Malta,  and  other  smaller  islands  of  the  Mediterranean,  depositing  a 
single  pure  white  egg  on  the  bare  ground,  in  crevices,  or  under  frag- 
ments of  rocks. 

This  species  also  breeds  on  the  islands  off  the  i^outhern  coast  of 

*a,95  by  1,92,  2.86  by  1.90,  2.86  by  2.00,  2.67  by  1.96,  2.85  by  1.90. 


15  \i 


^i:'l 


46 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OP 


.:.ilii 


.b\ 


ill:     ! 


France,  where  it  nests  in  cavities  under  rocks,  laying  upon  the  ground. 
The  eggs  are  described  as  pure  white,  sometimes  tinted  with  gray, 
measuring  2.36x1.62.  The  principal  food  of  this  bird  is  fish,  mol- 
lusks  and  crustaceans,  which  it  collects  from  the  surface  of  the  water. 

92.    Pufflnus  auduboni    Finch.    [712.] 

Audnbon's  Shearwater. 

Hab.    Atlantic  Ocean,  from  New  Jersey  southward. 

Audubon's  Dusky  Shearwater  is  found  on  the  Atlantic  coast  of 

the  United  States  from  New  Jersey  to  Florida.     It  wanders  to  the 

coast  of  Africa,  where  it  is  said  to  breed  on  the  islands  lying  on  the 

west  coast.     It  breeds  in  the  Bermudas  and  the  Bahamas,  and  nests 

especially  in  abundance  on  most  of  the  uninhabited  Keys  of  the  latter 

group ;  here  they  breed  in  March,  depositing  the  single  white  egg  in 

holes  in  the  rocks.     A  nest  is  made  consisting  of  a  few  dry  twigs. 

Both  sexes  incubate  and  when  caught  on  the  nest  the  birds  do  not  offer 

any  resistance.    The  egg  of  this  species  is  of  a  clear  chalky  white 

color,  oval  in  shape  and  measures  from  1.90  to  2.32  long  by  1.30  to 

1.45  broad. 

93.    Pufflnus  gavia    (Forst.)    [713.] 

Blaok-vented    Shearmrater. 

Hab.     Pacific  Ocean,  chiefly  southward. 

This  species  is  supposed  to  occur  along  the  whole  Pacific  coast  as 
far  north  at  least  as  Oregan,  Little  seems  to  be  known  regarding  its 
general  habits ;  the  eggs  are  said  to  resemble  those  of  other  members 
of  this  family. 

94.    Pufflnus  stricklandi    Ridgw.    [714.] 

Sooty  Shear'water. 

Hab.    North  Atlantic,  on  the  American  coast  south  to  the  CnroHnas. 

Here  is  a  Petrel  that  escaped  the  observations  of  the  earlier  orni- 
thologists, Wilson,  Nuttall,  and  Audubon.  Recent  explorers,  however, 
have  discovered  that  it  is  a  common  bird  off  our  Atlantic  coast,  and 
that  far  north  it  breeds  in  immense  colonies  on  the  islands  of  the  sea. 
It  burrows  in  the  ground  to  the  extent  of  several  feet  and  deposits  a 
single  white  egg.     The  average  size  of  the  egg  is  2.58  x  1,78. 

95.    Pufflnus  griseus    (Gmel.)    [715.] 

Dark-bodied  Sheamrater. 

Hab.     South  Pacific,  north  to  Lower  California. 

The  Dark-bodied  Shearwater  is  known  to  breed  on  Cornwallis  and 
Chatham  Islands,  east  of  New  Zealand,  in  the  South  Pacific  Ocean, 
and  also  on  other  islands  lying  farther  south. 

The  bird  burrows  in  the  peaty  ground  a  horizontal  hole  three  or 
four  feet  deep  and  turning  slightly  to  the  right  or  left.  At  the  end  of 
this  burrow  a  rude  nest  is  formed  of  twigs  and  dry  leaves,  where  one 


I     v 


NORTH  AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


47 


white  egg  is  laid;  size  2.25x1.45.  It  is  stated  that  the  old  birds  of 
this  species  roost  along  the  shores  of  the  islands  during  the  night  and 
the  noise  they  make  is  said  so  be  "  something  absolutely  frightful." 


[101.]    Bulweria  bulweri    (Jard.  &  Sblby.) 

Bnlwer's  Petrel. 

Hab.    Eastern  Atlantic,  including  coasts  of  Europe  and  Africa. 


[7x8.] 


This  Petrel  is  known  to  breed  on  the  Canary  and  Madeira  Islands 
and  others  on  the  northwestern  coast  of  Africa.  It  is  said  to  be  an 
occasional  visitor  to  the  Bermudas  and  accidental  in  Greenland.  It 
nests  in  burrows  in  the  soft  earth  under  overlying  bowlder-rocks  and 
in  deep  crevices  in  cliffs.  The  bird  is  stated  to  be  nocturnal  in  its 
habits,  never  flying  about  in  the  daytime.  The  single  egg  which  this 
species  lays  is  oval  in  shape,  equal-ended,  and  pure  white  in  color; 
sizes  range  from  1.59  to  1.76  long,  by  1.17  to  1.23  broad. 

104.    Procellaria  pelagifta    Linn.    [721.] 

stormy  Petrel. 

Hab.  Atlantic  Ocean ;  on  the  American  side  from  the  Newfoundland  Banks  northward.  West  coast 
of  Africa  and  coast  of  Europe. 

The  "  Mother  Carey's  Chicken  "  of  the  sailors.  Common  in  various 
portions  of  the  Northern  Atlantic ;  rarely  found  near  land  except  when 
breeding  or  during  severe  storms.  It  is  not  known  to  breed  on  the 
American  coast,  but  it  does  in  various  portions  of  the  Atlantic  coast  of 
Europe.  In  the  Mediterranean  it  breeds  in  abundance.  Nests  com- 
monly on  nearly  all  the  islands  on  the  coast  of  Scotland — the  Hebrides, 
Shetland,  Orkeys  and  Faroes ;  laying  is  begun  in  the  latter  part  of 
June. 

Dr.  Coues  says :  "This  is  the  rarest  of  the  three  little  black  white- 
rumped  '  Mother  Carey's  chickens '  of  our  Atlantic  Coast,  easily  dis- 
tinguished by  its  short  legs  and  square  tail ;  Leach's,  the  most  numer- 
ous, is  also  short-legged,  but  larger  and  fork -tailed;  Wilson's  is  inter- 
mediate, with  square  tail,  but  very  long,  stilt-like  legs,  flat  claws,  and 
a  yellow  spot  on  the  webs." 

The  single  egg  is  deposited  in  holes  in  high  clifis  or  in  burrows 
made  by  the  birds  under  bowlders  lying  on  the  ground.  The  cavity  is 
lined  with  twigs  and  leaves.  The  egg  is  white,  obscurely  dotted  with 
reddish  brown  on  the  larger  end;  sizes  range  from  1.09  to  1.12  long  by 
.  78  to  .83  broad. 

105.    Oceanodroma  furcata    (Gmel.)    [726.] 

Fork'talled  Petrel. 

Hab.     Pacific  Ocean,  on  the  American  coast  south  to  Oregon, 

On  all  of  the  less  populated  islands  of  the  Aleutian  group  as  far 


'it  If 


'   f. 


ir 


■  ft 


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"I'M- 

, 31 1  p  ti 


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■III 


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48 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


east  as  Unalashka  this  species  is  found  breeding  in  the  month  of  June. 
The  nests  are  made  in  burrows  or  holes  about  a  foot  deep  in  steep 
banks ;  the  termination  of  the  cavity  being  thinly  lined  with  fine  roots 
and  dry  grass.  This  species,  like  Leach's  Petrel,  when  caught  has  the 
habit  of  ejecting  a  reddish  oily  fluid  which  has  a  strong,  disagreeable 
smell ;  the  nest,  eggs,  and  even  the  old  dry  skins  of  the  bird  are  forever 
infected  with  it. 

A  small  colony  of  these  graceful  petrels  were  found  breeding  on 
Copper  Island,  in  Bering  Sea,  by  Dr.  Stejneger.  The  eggs  were  taken 
July  1 2th,  a  single  one  in  each  nest,  were  deposited  in  deep  holes 
in  the  steep  basaltic  rocks,  three  feet  or  more  deep,  and  it  was  only 
with  great  difficulty  that  a  few  could  be  secured.  Some  males  and 
some  females  were  taken  on  the  nests.  The  eggs  were  in  different 
stages  of  incubation,  white  without  gloss,  with  minute  dark  specks 
evenly  dusted  over  the  blunt  end ;  in  one  the  specks  were  a  little  larger, 
purplish-black,  forming  a  circle  around  the  blunt  end.  Three  eggs 
measure  34  x  26,  32. 5  x  25,  34  x  26.5  mm*. 

106.    Oceanodroma  leucorhoa    (Vieill.)    [723.'I 

Ijeaoli'a  Petrel. 

Hab.     North  Atlantic  and  North  Pacific  Oceans. 

Leach's  Fork-tailed  Petrel  at  various  seasons  of  the  year  wanders 
over  a  large  portion  of  the  watery  expanse  of  the  globe.  It  breeds  in 
the  months  of  March,  April,  May,  June,  July  and  August,  according  to 
locality,  in  the  northern  latitudes  of  Europe,  Eastern  and  Western 
North  America.  On  the  Atlantic  coast  of  North  America  from  Maine 
northward  it  nests  generally  in  June  and  July.  Thousands  breed 
on  some  of  the  islands  on  the  northern  New  England  coast, 
especially  those  in  the  vicinity  of  Grand  Manan  and  the  small 
islands  of  Casco  Bay.  On  the  Pacific  coast  Mr.  Walter  E.  Bry- 
ant records  Leach's  Petrel  nesting  in  March ;  on  Guadalupe  Island, 
which  is  situated  two  hundred  and  twenty  miles  southward  and  west- 
ward of  San  Diego,  California,  Mr.  Bryant  found  the  birds  breeding  in 
burrows  under  bowlders  and  fallen  branches  ;  these  places  were  from 
one  to  three  feet  in  length,  at  the  extremity  of  which  were  enlarged 
chambers  where  the  single  egg  was  laid  upon  a  few  pine  needles.  The 
egg,  Mr.  Bryant  describes  as  shaped  much  like  that  of  a  pigeon's, 
white  in  color,  one  end  being  wreathed  with  a  fine  spattering  of  mi- 
nute dots  of  reddish -brown  and  pale  lavender,  f 

The  average  size  of  fifty  eggs  taken  March  4th  and  5th,  is  35.7  by 

*1.84  X  1.02, 1.28  X  08,  1.84  x  1.01. 

f  Additions  to  the  Ornithology  of  Guadalupe  Island.  By  Walter  E.  Bryant.  Bulletin  6,  California 
Academy  of  Science. 


NORTH   AMERICAN    BIRDS. 


49 


27  mm.*  The  offensive  reddish,  oily  fluid  which  this  species  ahnost 
invariably  ejects  when  handled  or  irritated  probably  serves  as  food  for 
the  young.  The  male  and  female  assist  in  the  duties  of  incubation 
and  often  both  sexes  may  be  found  sitting  side  by  side  in  their  burrow. 
Eggs  collected  on  the  Atlantic  coast  are  chalky-white,  finely  dotted 
on  the  larger  end,  often  in  a  circle,  with  purplish-red  and  lilac.  Twenty 
specimens  average  in  size  1.34  x  i.oo.  On  approaching  the  breeding 
ground  of  the  petrels,  not  one  of  them  is  to  be  seen.  Many  of  the 
birds  are  far  out  at  sea,  and  as  night  comes  on  those  in  their  bur- 
rows come  forth  and  those  out  at  sea  return,  and  the  air  seems  alive 
with  them  flitting  about  like  bats  and  uttering  their  peculiar  clatter- 
ing notes. 

108.    Oceanodroma  homochroa    (Coues.)    [725] 

Ashy   Petrel. 

Hab.    Cosist  of  California. 

This,  Mr.  Emerson  informs  me,  is  the  rarest  of  the  birds  that 
breed  on  the  Farallons ;  nesting  anywhere  in  cavities  under  bowlders, 
laying  a  single  egg. 

Two  eggs  collected  June  15,  1885,  and  June  8th,  1886,  measure 
respectively  30x23,  31x23.5  mm.f 

Mr.  A.  M.  Ingersoll  first  found  the  egg  of  this  species  on  South 
Farallon  in  June,  1885.  He  described  the  egg  as  dull  creamy-white, 
with  a  circle  of  reddish  spots  around  the  large  end,  so  fine  as  to  be 
almost  indistinct.  The  large  end  is  somewhat  flattened,  like  the  large 
end  of  an  acorn.     It  measures  i.i8x  .94.^ 

109.    Oceanites  oceanicus    (Kuhl.)    [722.] 

Wilson's   Petrel. 

Hab.    Atlantic  and  Southern  Oceans. 

Wilson's  Stormy  Petrel  is  one  of  the  best  known  and  commonest 
of  the  smaller  petrels.  It  is  to  be  met  with  nearly  everywhere  over 
the  entire  watery  surface  of  the  world  —  far  north  in  the  icy  regions  of 
the  Arctic  seas  and  south  to  the  sunny  isles  of  Southern  oceans.  Its 
general  habits  are  the  same  as  those  of  Leach's  Petrel. 

Dr.  J.  H.  Kidder  found  it  on  Kerguelen  Island,  southeast  of 
Africa.  He  had  previously  seen  them  at  the  sea  coast  off"  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope,  and,  on  December  14,  saw  them  out  by  day  feeding  on 
the  oily  matter  floating  away  from  the  carcass  of  a  sea-elephant.    The 

*  1.40  X  1.06— Thi«  description  of  the  eggs  refer  to  the  new  subspecies  of  this  Petrel,  since  described 
by  Mr.  Bryant  in  a.  paper  read  before  the  California  Academy  of  Sciences  July  18, 1887.  He  has  named  this 
local  variety,  Guadalupe  Petrel,  Oceanodroma  Uucorhoa  macrodactfla.  It  is  similar  to  O.  leucorhoa,  but 
larger  and  darker.  White  of  upper  tail  coverts  more  restricted,  and  the  ends  of  coverts  broadly  tipped  with 
black.     Pileum  darker  than  back,  lighter  anteriorly.     Bill  broader  and  deeper  at  base  than  that  of  Uucorhoa. 

1 1-18  X. 91,  1.22  X. 03. 

X  Ornithologist  and  Oologist.    Vol.  XI,  p.  21. 


■t'l 


1 1\ 


50 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


I    ! 


'I''!1 


fi'^li 


birds,  he  says,  frequent  the  rocky  parts  of  hillsides,  and,  flitting  about 
like  swallows,  they  catch  very  minute  iusects. 

Dr.  Kidder  remarks  that  he  never  succeeded  in  finding  the  egg, 
but  learned  from  Rev.  Mr.  Eaton,  who  found  one  on  Thumb  Mountain 
December  8,  that  this  species  nested  under  large  rocks  not  far  from 
the  beach.    The  egg  found  was  white. 

The  species  was  supposed  to  nest  among  and  under  the  rocks, 
habitually,  at  considerable  elevation  above  the  sea. 

112.    Phaethon  flavirostris    Brandt.    [654.] 

Tellow-blUed  Tropio  Bird. 

Hab.     Tropical  and  sub-tropical  coasts  of  America  north  to  Florida. 

In  appearance  this  bird  resembles  a  large  tern ;  the  principal  ex- 
ternal peculiarity  is  its  long  middle  tail-feathers ;  the  general  color  of 
the  plumage  is  white,  tinged  with  salmon.  Its  habits  are  similar  to 
those  of  the  terns. 

It  is  inter-tropical  in  its  distribution,  of  a  wandering  disposition, 
breeding  on  the  islands  of  mid-ocean  thousands  of  miles  apart.  The 
bird  is  noted  for  its  elegant,  airy  and  long-protracted  flight.  On  St. 
Bourdon,  Mauritius  and  other  islands  east  and  south  of  Madagascar, 
this  species  breeds  in  the  crevices  of  the  rocks  of  unaccessible  cliffs, 
and  in  hollow  trees.  In  the  Bermuda  Islands  it  nests  about  the  first 
of  May  in  holes  in  high  rocky  places  along  the  shores.  Here  its  favor- 
ite resorts  are  the  small  islands  of  Great  Sound,  Castle  Harbor  and 
Harrington  Sound.  The  Phaeton,  as  this  bird  is  called,  breeds  in  the 
Bahamas  in  holes  in  the  perpendicular  faces  of  cliffs  and  also  on  the 
flat  surfaces  of  rocks.  A  single  egg  is  laid,  which  has  a  ground-color 
of  purplish  brownish  white,  covered  in  some  specimens  almost  over 
the  entire  surface  with  fine  reddish  chocolate-colored  spots ;  in  some 
specimens  this  coloring  approaches  blackness.  The  average  size  of 
the  eggs  is  2.21  x  1.54. 

113.    Phaethon  SBthereus    Linn.    [655.] 

Red-billed  Tropio  Bird. 

Hab.     Coast  of  tropical  America,  north  on  the  Pacific  coast  to  Lower  California. 

The  Red-billed  Tropic  Bird  occurs  along  the  Pacific  coast  of 
South  America,  in  the  West  Indies,  and  as  far  north  as  Cape  St. 
Lucas.  In  one  instance  it  is  said  to  have  straggled  to  Newfoundland. 
Breeds  on  the  various  islands  off"  the  coast  of  Mexico.  Its  breeding 
habits  are  said  to  be  like  those  of  the  Yellow-billed  species. 

The  eggs  are  creamy-white,  with  a  purplish  tinge,  marked  with 
fine  dots  of  chestnut-brown.  The  sizes  vary  from  2.20  to  2.37  in  length 
by  1.55  to  1.70  in  breadth. 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


61 


[114.]    Sula  oyanops    Sund.    [651.] 

Blne-f»o«d   Booby. 

H«b.    South  Pacific,  Weit  Indies  and  Southern  Florida. 

The  Gannets  are  birds  that  resemble  very  closely  the  cormorants, 
and,  again,  they  may  be  said  to  look  like  geese  —  a  name  often  applied 
to  them.  They  are  large,  heavy  sea-birds,  noted  for  their  vigorous 
protracted  flight.  They  procure  their  food  by  plunging  into  the  water 
from  a  height,  completely  submerging  themselves,  often  for  several 
minutes.  The  Blue-faced  Gannet  inhabits  the  Southern  Pacific  Ocean 
as  far  southwest  as  Australia.  In  some  of  the  Islands  of  the  Paumotu 
Group  this  species  deposits  its  eggs  on  the  dry  sandy  beaches  of 
lagoons.  Both  sexes  incubate.  When  a  colony  of  these  birds  is  dis- 
turbed none  of  them  leave  their  nests,  but  remain  gravely  at  their 
stations,  and  hiss  at  the  intruder  like  a  domestic  goose.  On  the 
Bahamas  this  species  nests  in  the  latter  part  of  March,  laying  always 
two  eggs.  These  are  white,  covered  with  a  calcareous  deposite ;  sizes 
range  from  2.45  to  2.60  long  by  1.67  to  1.75  broad. 

115.    Sula  sula    (Linn.)    [652.] 

Booby. 

Hab.    Tropical  and  sub-tropical  coasts  and  islands  of  America,  north  to  Georgia. 

The  Booby  Gannet  is  said  to  breed  on  some  of  the  islands  about 
the  extreme  southern  coast  of  Florida.  In  the  Bermuda  Islands,  and 
in  some  of  the  Bahamas,  and  many  of  those  along  the  coasts  of  Cen- 
tral and  South  America,  this  Gannet  congregates  by  thousands  at 
its  breeding  places,  where  it  deposits  its  eggs  on  the  sand  of  the 
beaches,  or  on  the  bare  rock ;  no  nest  whatever  is  made.  The  food  of 
this  species  consists  chiefly  of  flying-fish  and  small  mullets,  which 
they  disgorge  in  a  half  macerated  state  into  the  open  mouths  of  their 
young.  Audubon  found  mullets  weighing  more  than  a  half  a  pound 
in  the  bodies  of  the  gannets  he  examined. 

In  various  islands  of  the  southern  oceans  the  Booby  constructs  its 
nest  of  sticks  and  weeds  on  bushes  and  low  trees.  Here  it  is  said  to 
lay  but  one  egg. 

Observations  of  those  who  have  collected  in  the  West  Indies  dis- 
close the  fact  that  the  complete  nest  complement  is  two  eggs.  These 
are  of  a  uniform  dull,  chalky  white  in  color,  with  great  variations  in 
sizes,  measuring  from  2.16  to  2.64  long  by  1.50  to  1.57  broad. 

[116.]    Sula  piscator    (Linn.)    [653.] 

Red-footed   Booby. 

Hab.     Coast  and  islands  of  tropical  and  sub-tropical  seas,  north  to  Western  Mexico  and  Fkilda. 

The  Red-footed  Booby  is  characterized  by  the  same  general  habits 


■■);     ' 


,! 


! '   ';i    ! 


52 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


as  Others  of  its  family.  Its  nesting  is  essentially  the  same  as  that  of 
the  Blue-faced  Gannet.  Two  eggs  are  laid,  white  in  color,  elongate- 
ovate  in  shape,  with  a  calcareous  deposit  on  the  surface ;  size,  2.57x1.80. 

117.    Sula  bassana    (Linn.)    [650.] 

Oannet. 

Hah,  North  Atlantic;  louth  in  winter  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  and  Africa.  Ureedi  from  Nova  Scotia 
and  Britiih  islandi  northward. 

The  White  Gannet,  or  Solan  Goose,  is  widely  distributed  through- 
out the  Northern  Atlantic  Ocean,  and  is  more  or  less  a  resident  wher- 
ever found. 

Some  of  the  most  noted  breeding  places  of  this  bird  are  on  the 
islands  about  the  coasts  of  Scotland,  notably  the  great  Bass  Rock  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Firth  of  Forth.  Here  it  breeds  in  tens  of  thousands, 
with  the  Gulls,  Cormorants  and  Puffins  that  inhabit  the  rock.  Another 
of  its  breeding  stations  is  St.  Kilda.  The  precipitous  cliffs  at  this 
place  rise  to  the  height  of  1,400  feet.  Here  the  Gannet  breeds  in 
countless  numbers.  This  bird  also  nests  in  the  Faroe  Islands  and  in 
islands  on  the  coast  of  Iceland.  Small  colonies  are  to  be  found  breed- 
ing in  Labrador.  One  of  its  well  known  breeding  places  on  the  coast 
of  North  America  is  *'  Bird  Rocks,"  in  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence.  The 
nests  are  built  on  the  summits  and  ledges  of  the  rocks.  They  are 
made  of  sea-weed,  mud  and  small  stones,  raised  to  about  ten  inches  in 
height  and  eighteen  in  diameter.  In  some  cases  the  nest  is  made  of 
straw  and  other  available  material.  A  single  egg  is  laid.  It  resembles 
very  much  the  average  Brown  Pelican  egg,  with,  however,  these  differ- 
ences: Its  general  shape  is  more  elongated,  and  the  calcareous  de- 
posit on  it  is  thicker;  the  color  is  chalky-white;  sizes  range  from 
3.25  to  3.50  long  by  1.65  to  2.05  broad. 

118.    Anhinga  anhinga    (Linn.)    [649.] 

Auhinga. 

Hab.    Tropical  and  subtropical  America,  north  to  the  Carolinas  and  Southern  Illinoii. 


Known  as  the  Water  Turkey,  Darter  anri 
swims  with  the  body  submerged,  its  her  1  n 
some  kind  of  water  serpent — hence 
looking  bird  is  very  common  in  sui.        i  in 
Gulf  States  to  North  Carolina,  frequcating  t 
swamps.     It  is  a  constant  resident  of  Florid 
amazing  ease,  and  when  alarmed  will  drop  from  its  perch  with  st 
a  ripple  on  the  surface  of  the  water,  and  will  swim  beneath  the  s 
to  a  safe  distance  before  reappearing.     It  has  also  the  curious  ' 
quietly  sinking  like  a  grebe. 

The  nests  of  the  Anhinga  are  variously  placed — sometimes 


^       id.     It  often 

-  in  sight  like 

mc       This  singular- 

So.  .11  Atlantic  and 

-  almost  impenetrable 

The  bird  dives  with 

:ely 


face 
it  of 

low 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


63 


bushes  at  an  elevation  of  only  a  few  feet,  or  in  the  upper  branches  of 
a  high  tree,  but  always  over  water.  Sometimes  this  bird  breeds  in 
large  colonies  with  various  species  of  Herons.  The  eggs  are  from 
three  to  five  in  number,  blui.sh  or  dark  greenish-white,  with  a  white 
chalky  incrustation ;  they  are  narrow  and  elongated  in  shape ;  the  sizes 
range  from  2.00  to  2.30  long  by  1.30  to  1.40  broad. 

119.    Phalacrocorax  carbo    (Linn.)    [642.] 

Cormorant. 

Hab.  Atlantic  coasti  of  Europe  «nd  America,  louth  in  winter  on  the  coaxt  of  the  United  States,  caf- 
ually,  to  the  Carolinas. 

The  Common  Cormorant  is  very  generally  distributed  throughout 
nearly  the  entire  northern  hemisphere.  It  breeds  in  the  northern  parts 
of  Europe  and  Asia,  and  in  North  America  from  the  Bay  of  Fundy  to 
Greenland.  The  Cormorants  are  curious  birds  of  strange  figure ;  the 
outer  surface  of  the  plumage,  in  most  species  normally  is  of  a  dark 
liistrous  greenish-black,  but  subject  to  great  changes,  making  their 
study  very  difficult.  The  eyes  as  a  rule  are  green,  a  color  rarely  seen 
in  birds.  They  feed  principally  upon  fish  and  their  voracity  is  pro- 
verbial. This  species  breeds  in  vast  numbers  on  the  rocky  shores  of 
Labrador  and  Newfoundland  ;  making  the  nest  upon  the  tops  of  ledges 
or  on  projections  and  in  the  crevices  of  precipitous  rocks,  which  are 
covered  with  the  excrement  of  the  birds.  It  is  composed  of  sticks, 
kelp  and  sea  weed.  Like  all  the  Cormorants  this  species  is  gregarious 
and  breed  in  communities.  They  are  all  known  under  the  common 
name  of  Shag. 

Mr.  Frazar  met  with  a  colony  of  this  Cormorant  in  company  with 
the  Double-crested  species  on  the  coast  of  Labrador.  Many  of  the 
nests  contained  large  young  June  19.  Nests  of  the  Double-crested 
Cormorant  were  placed  wherever  the  ledges  would  hold  them,  while 
those  of  the  Common  species  were  built  close  to  the  top.  The  nests 
of  the  Common  Cormorant  usually  contained  four  or  five  eggs,  and 
several  sets  were  taken  of  six.  The  eggs  average  larger  than  those  of 
the  Double-crested;  the  sizes  vary  from  2.38  to  2.65  long  by  1.29  to 
1.60  broad.     Color,  pale  greenish;  form,  elliptical. 

120.    Phalacrocorax dilophus.     (Sw.  &  Rich.)    [643] 

Sonble-orested   Cormorant. 

Hab.    Atlantic  coast  of  North  America;  southward  in  the  interior  to  the  Great  Lakes  and  Wisconsin. 

In  Eastern  North  America  the  Double-crested  Cormorant  or  "Crow 
Duck"  is  a  common  species,  breeding  on  the  coast  from  the  Bay  of 
Fundy  northward  and  in  many  of  the  inland  lakes,  reservoirs  and 
marshes.     It  is  said  to  have  nested  years  ago  in  Ohio,  at  the  Licking 


H 


Mii 


^i 


I 


,1  .:M 


'1^1 1 


64 


NESTS  AND   EGGS   OF 


county  Reservoir,  and  other  similar  places  in  the  northern  part  of  the 
State. 

On  some  of  the  rocky  islands  of  the  lakes  and  large,  isolated 
bodies  of  water  in  Iowa  and  Wisconsin,  this  Cormorant  breeds  in  great 
numbers.  Mr.  Frazar  met  with  colonies  of  it  breeding  on  the  islands 
and  cliffs  along  the  coast  of  Labrador.  The  nests  were  placed  on 
ledges  of  the  rocks ;  they  were  composed  of  seaweed  and  kelp,  freshly 
pulled  from  the  bottom  of  the  ocean.  None  of  the  nests  contained 
more  than  four  eggs.  On  the  islands  of  inland  waters  this  Cormorant 
often  constructs  its  nest  on  low  spreading  trees.  The  eggs  in  number 
range  from  two  to  four;  bluish-green  in  color,  with  the  usual  chalky 
substance  over  their  surface;  sizes  vary  from  2.09  to  2.27  long  by  1.35 
to  1.50  broad.  The  eggs  are  of  a  more  regular  oval  than  those  of  P. 
carbo. 

120a.    Phalacrocorax  dilophus  floridanus    (Aud.)    [643a.] 

Florida  Cormorant. 

Hab.     Coasts  of  the  South  Atlantic  and  Gulf  States,  northward  in  the  interior  to  Southern  Illinois. 

A  smaller  and  more  southern  variety  of  the  Double-crested  species ; 
resident  in  Florida  and  along  the  Gulf  coast,  where  it  nests  in  com- 
munities on  the  mangrove  islands.  The  nests  are  always  placed  in 
mangrove  bushes  and  are  composed  of  the  twigs  and  very  often  lined 
with  the  leaves  of  this  plant. 

Mr.  Stuart  has  often  observed  nests  made  entirely  of  the  branches 
of  the  mangrove,  with  the  green  leaves  still  on  them.  In  the  vicinity 
of  Tampa  and  Charlotte  Harbor  the  birds  nest  in  May  and  June,  and 
below  Cape  Sable  in  the  months  of  October  and  November  The 
eggs  are  three  or  four  in  number.  Six  selected  specimens  measure 
2.30x1.43,  2.28x1.38,  2.36x1.45,  2.25x1.40,  2.51  X  1.50,  2.42x1.40. 


ii'll 


:!J  ! 


H 


120^.    Phalacrocorax  dilophus  cincinatus  (Brandt.)    \p^^b.\ 

Whlte-orested    Cormorant. 

Hab.    West  coast  of  North  America,  south  to  California. 

Captain  Charles  E.  Bendire  met  with  this  variety  of  the  Double- 
crested  Cormorant  breeding  in  large  numbers  on  several  low,  narrow 
islands  of  Lake  Malheur,  in  the  southwestern  portion  of  Oregon.  The 
birds  began  to  lay  aboiit  the  20th  of  April.  The  islands  were  also  occu- 
pied by  White  Pelicans  and  Great  Blue  Herons  as  a  breeding  place. 

About  two-thirds  of  the  Cormorants'  nests  were  made  on  the 
ground,  and  they  were  composed  of  pieces  of  drift,  small  sticks,  etc. 
The  balance  were  placed  en  low  greasewood  bushes.  They  were  lined 
with  pieces  of  bark  and  tule  and  coarse  grasses,  and  placed  very  close 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


55 


to  the  water's  edge,  so  that  when  the  lake  was  rough  the  water  must 
have  splashed  into  many  of  them. 

The  eggs,  four  or  five  in  number,  are  described  as  being  of  an 
elongated  oval,  pale  green,  covered  more  or  less  with  chalky  coatings. 
They  average  2.42  x  1.48.  Captain  Bendire  states  that  the  largest  set  in 
a  number  exhibits  the  following  measurements:  2.86x  1.60,  2.7OX  1.65, 
2.66x1,64,  2.70x1,60.     A  single  egg  was  found  measuring  1.80x1.20.* 

120c.    Phalacrocorax  dllophus  albociliatus    Ridow, 

Farallone    Cormorant. 

Hab.  Coast  of  California,  south  to  Cape  St.  Lucas  and  islands  of  the  coast  of  Mexico. 

This  bird  is  as  common  on  the  Farallones  as  Baird's  Cormorant, 
and  it  nests  on  the  rough  ridges  or  points  of  rocks  overlooking  the  isl- 
ands. About  the  first  of  May  they  may  be  seen  carrying  weeds  and 
dry  sea  kelp  to  their  nesting  sites,  where  they  construct  a  flat,  loose 
and  bulky  platform,  which  is,  on  the  whole,  quite  a  shallow  structure. 

Their  nesting  is  similar  to  that  of  other  Cormorants,  and  they  may 
be  observed  sitting  on  their  empty  nests  for  hours  at  a  time,  probably, 
as  Mr.  Emerson  suggests,  for  the  purpose  of  working  out  the  hollow  of 
their  nests  with  their  large  feet,  for  which  purpose  they  are  so  well 
suited. 

By  L^e  middle  of  the  month  they  have  begun  to  deposit  their  lime 
covered  eggs.  These  compare  well  with  those  of  Brandt's  Cormorant, 
and  are  a  little  larger  than  the  eggs  of  Baird's.  A  set  of  five  in  Mr. 
Emerson's  possession  measure  as  follows :  60  x  50,  61  x  39,  62  x  39, 
60  X  40,  62  X  39  mm.f  respectively ;  these  were  taken  May  20,  1886 ; 
their  general  form  is  rather  ovate  oval,  and  quite  round  at  the  greater 
end.  Their  color  and  general  characteristics  are  the  same  as  those 
peculiar  to  other  Cormorants'  eggs — light  greenish  in  color  and  coated 
with  a  chalky  substance.  ' 

Four  eggs  seem  to  be  the  number  commonly  laid ;  both  male  and 
female  assist  in  the  process  of  incubation,  one  remaining  on  the  nest 
or  beside  it  while  the  other  is  off  on  a  short  fishing  excursion,! 

121.    Phalacrocorax  mexicanus  (Brandt,)    [644.] 

Mexican    Cormoranti 

Hab,  Southern  United  States,  north  to  the  interior  of  Kansas  and  Southern  Illinois. 

The  Mexican  Cormorant  is  a  tropical  species  found  on  the  coasts 
and  inland  marshes  of  Mexico,  Yucatan,  and  Central  and  South  Amer- 
ica, where  it  breeds.  It  is  mentioned  by  Dr,  Merrill  as  being  a  common 
summer  resident  in  Southwestern  Texas,  in  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Brown, 

*  Ornithologist  and  Oologist,  VJI,  p.  IJW. 
t  2.Sfixl.o7,  2.-»0.'<l,54.  2.44xl.54.  2.36x1.57,  2.44x1. .54. 
From  my  article  on  the  eggs  of  this  Cormorant  in  Forest  and  Stream,  Vol.  XXVIII,  p.  168 


i  : 


^^%'> 


tl'^i 


56 


NESTS  AND   EGGS  OF 


,t    ■!    ■  :n 


'iliil 


II 1 


where  it  doubtless  nests  in  the  dense  growth  of  trees  and  bushes  that 
border  most  of  the  lagoons. 

The  breeding  habits  of  this  species  are  similar  to  those  of/*,  d. 
floridanus —  congregating  in  large  communities  and  nesting  in  trees  or 
bushes.  In  some  places  along  the  South  American  seacoast  the  bird 
nests  on  rocks  as  well  as  on  shrubbery. 

The  eggs  are  three  or  four  in  number,  greenish-white  in  color,  with 
the  usual  chalky  stibstance  on  their  surface;  sizes  range  from  2.10  to 
2.35  long  by  1.30  to  1.40  broad. 

122.    Phalacrocorax  penicillatus    (Brandt.)    [645] 


H,ib. 


Brandt's    Cornior<tiit. 

Pacific  coast  of  North  America,  from  extremity  of  Lower  California  to  Washington  Territory. 


The  most  common  of  the  Cormorants  breeding  on  the  Farallones. 
Its  habits  are  the  same  as  those  of  the  other  species,  but  it  is  of  a  more 
sociable  di.  position,  congregating  in  large  communities  to  breed  on  the 
shelving  rocks  and  ridges.  It  does  not  always  choose  the  most  inacces- 
sible places  for  nesting.  Like  the  others,  it  has  great  difficulty  in  con- 
structing its  nest,  for  as  fast  as  it  gathers  the  weeds  together,  the  thieving 
Western  Gulls  make  away  with  them.  So  often  are  the  Cormorants 
molested  in  this  manner  that  they  frequently  change  their  place  of 
nesting.  The  eggs  are  three,  usually  four,  sometimes  five  in  number, 
light  greenish-blue,  with  a  chalky  deposit  on  the  surface.  They  meas- 
ure as  small  as  56  x  38  mm.,  and  as  large  as  66.5  x  38  mm.* 

123.    Phalacrocorax  pelagicus    Pall. 

Pelagic  Cormorant. 

Hab.    Aleutian  and  Kurile  Islands,  and  Kamtschatka,  south  to  Japan, 

This  beautiful  Cormorant  is  abundant  in  the  Aleutian  and  Kurile 
Islands  and  those  along  the  coast  of  Kamtschatka,  where  it  breeds. 

Dr.  Leonhard  Stejneger  says  it  is  a  very  abundant  resident  of  Cop- 
per and  Bering  Islands,  breeding  on  all  the  most  rugged  and  steep 
promontories  which  rise  immediately  from  the  sea,  as  well  as  on  the 
outlying  islets  and  stones.  Eggs,  three  or  four  in  number.  Three  eggs 
collected  at  Bering  Island,  June  8,  exhibit  the  following  dimentions: 
56  by  37.5,  53  by  37,  59  by  35,  mm.f  Two  from  Copper  Island,  taken 
July  14,  measure  59  by  34.75,  58  by  35,  nim.^  The  color  and  general 
characteristics  of  the  eggs  do  not  differ  from  those  of  other  cormorants. 

123       Phalacrocorax  pelagicus  robustus    Ridgw.    [646.] 

,  .  Violet-green  Cormoranti 

Hab.    Coast  of  Al.iska. 

On  the  rocky  coasts  and  islands  of  Alaska  the  Violet-green  Cormo- 


*  2.20  xL50,  2.62x1.50. 

t  2.20x1.48.  2.09xl.-15,  2.32x1.46. 

t  2.38x1.37,  2.28x1.38. 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


57 


rant  is  very  abundant.  Here  it  nests  on  the  ledges  and  projections  of 
high  cliffs,  making  the  nests  of  sea-weed,  grasses  and  aquatic  plants, 
which  are  cemented  together  with  the  excrements  of  the  bird.  In  all 
respects  its  general  habits,  nesting  and  eggs,  are  similar  to  those  of  the 
Pelagic  Cormorant.     The  average  size  of  the  eggs  is  2.25  by  1.45. 

123l>.    Phalacrocorax  pelagicus  resplendens    (Aud.)    [646a.] 

Baird'a  Cormorant. 

Hab.    Pacific  coast  of  North  America,  from  Cape  St.  Lucas  north  to  Washington  Territory. 

On  the  Farallones  this  species  is  less  common  than  Phalacrocorax 
dilophus  albociliatus  or  P.  penicillatus.  The  nests  are  built  more  fre- 
quently on  inaccessible  places.  The  same  rookeries  are  used  each 
season,  the  birds  repairing  the  nests  by  adding  a  few  pieces  of  weed  or 
sea  kelp.  Colonies  of  eight  or  ten  pairs  nest  on  the  shelves  of  perpen- 
dicular or  overhanging  rocks.  The  birds  will  occupy  the  same  nest 
after  being  robbed,  and  setting  commences  after  the  first  ^%'g  is  laid,  in 
order  to  protect  it  from  the  gulls.  Mr.  Emerson  says  that  by  June  the 
birds  have  begun  to  deposit  their  eggs,  which  are  tjiree  or  four  in  num- 
ber, pale  greenish-blue  in  color,  with  the  usual  chalky  coating. 

Mr.  Bryant  states  that  the  eggs  of  Baird's  Cormorant  may  usually 
be  known  by  their  small  size,  the  average  dimensions  of  thirty-six 
specimens  (nine  sets  of  four)  are  55.5x36.5  mm.,*  the  largest  59x36, 
and  the  smallest  52x35  mm.f 

124.    Phalacrocorax  urile    (Gmel.)    [647.] 

Red-faoed   Cormorant. 

Hab.    Islands  of  Bering  Sea  and  coast  of  Kamtschatka. 

The  Red-faced  Cormorant  is  a  common  species  on  the  islands  of 
Bering  Sea,  especially  on  St.  George  and  St.  Paul  Islands  of  the  Pry- 
bilof  Group.  Breeds  commonly  on  some  of  the  Aleutian  Islands.  Dr. 
Stejneger  mentions  it  as  being  less  common  on  Bering  and  Copper  Isl- 
ands than  P.  pelagicus.  He  states  that  the  eggs  of  the  two  species  can 
not  be  confounded ;  those  of  the  Red-faced  being  considerably  larger 
than  those  of  the  pelagicus^  and  the  green  color  of  the  eggs  when 
looked  at  through  the  shell  is  totally  different, —  much  more  bluish 
in  the  former,  against  yellow  in  the  latter.  The  nests  are  built  on  the 
projections  of  the  narrow  siielves  or  ledges  along  the  face  of  a  cliff, 
the  material  used  being  seaweed,  ferns,  grasses,  etc.,  which  are  matted 
together  largely  with  the  excrements  of  the  bird  itself.  The  young  are 
fed  on  small  fish,  crabs  and  shrimps,  and  in  a  short  time  the  nesting 
places  become  very  filthy,  as  a  large  portion  of  the  food  brought  by 

*2.19xl.44. 

t  2.32x1.42,  2.05x1.38.     • 


I 


■!i- 


'■'liili 


58 


NESTS   AND   EGGS  OF 


the  old  birds  is  strewn  over  and  around  the  nests.  The  eggs  vary  in 
size  from  2.30  to  2.55  long  by  1.50  to  1.55  broad.  Three  eggs  collected 
by  Dr.  Stejneger  on  Copper  Island,  July  14,  measure  61x40,  63.5x39, 
66x37  mm.* 

125.    Pelecanus  erythrorhynchos    Gmel.    [640.] 

American    W^hite    Pelioan. 

Hab.  Temperate  North  America,  north  in  the  interior  to  about  latitude  61"',  south  to  Central  America ; 
rare  or  accidental  in  the  Northeastern  States;  abundant  in  the  Middle  Province  and  along  the  Gulf  coast; 
common  on  the  coast  of  California  and  Western  Mexico. 

The  White  Pelican  is  generally  common  west  of  the  Mississippi, 
breeding  from  Utah  northward.  It  was  formally  known  to  breed  in 
various  parts  of  Florida.  Captain  Charles  E.  Bendire  found  it  nest- 
ing in  large  numbers  on  several  small  islands  of  Lake  Malheur,  in 
southeastern  Oregon.  It  is  common  on  various  lakes  in  the  Red  River 
Valley,  in  British  America. 

I  am  informed  by  Prof.  Marcus  E.  Jones  that  several  thousand  of 
White  Pelicans  are  permanent  residents  of  Great  Salt  I^ake,  Utah, 
breeding  on  the  islands  twenty  miles  out  in  the  lake.  They  begin  to 
lay  about  the  first  of  May  or  two  weeks  earlier,  according  to  the  season, 
and  fresh  eggs  are  frequently  found  as  late  as  July.  The  usual  number 
of  eggs,  he  says,  is  two,  rarely  three  or  four. 

The  birds  make  their  nests  on  the  ground  between  the  clumps  of 
white  sage  {Atriplex  confertifalia)  that  grow  on  the  islands.  They 
scrape  the  sandy  soil  into  a  heap  about  six  inches  high  on  the  outside 
of  the  nests  and  arrange  dry  twigs  without  system ;  the  nests  are 
about  a  foot  in  diameter  with  a  slight  depression  at  the  top.  Prof. 
Jones  says  the  birds  travel  sixty  miles  to  catch  fish  for  themselves  and 
young,  and  they  often  vomit  up  the  contents  of  their  stomach  on  the 
ground,  which,  with  the  great  heat  on  the  islands  at  the  nesting  time, 
soon  decay.  The  stench  of  the  rookeries  and  the  noise  of  the  birds  are 
almost  intolerable. 

Captain  Bendire  found  two  to  be  the  usual  number  of  eggs  laid, 
although  three  and  four  to  a  nest  was  by  no  means  rare,  and  occasion- 
ally as  many  as  five  were  found. 

The  egg:  are  dull,  chalky  white  in  color,  with  a  calcareous 
deposit  on  then,  and  always  more  or  less  blood  stained.  Captain 
Bendire  gives  the  average  size  to  be  about  3.45x2.30,  and  measure- 
ments of  a  few  selected  specimens  out  of  several  thousand  are  as  fol- 
lows: 4.08x2.15,4.04x2.20,4.01x2.19,  3.99x2.20,3.72x2.40,  3.86X 
2-55)  3-87x2.32,  3.62x2.40,  3.60x2.40,  3-57x2.35,  3.20x2.51,3.17 
X2.23,  3.20x2.21;  two  runt  eggs,  2.69x1.88,  2.46x1.73.! 

■:' 2.40x1.57,  2.50x1.54,  2.60x1.46. 

t  Ornithologist  and  Oologist.     Vol.  VII.,  p.  180. 


\-4-m 


NOR'f'H  AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


59 


126.    Pelecanus  fuscus     Linn.     [641.] 


Illinois. 


Hab. 


Brown  Pelloaui 

Atlantic  coast  of  tropical  and   subtropical  America,  north    to  North  Carolina;   accidental  in 


This  Pelican  is  an  abundant  bird,  and  constant  resident  of  Florida 
and  southward  into  the  tropical  regions.  It  is  said,  when  feeding,  to 
plunge  for  its  prey  like  a  gannet,  and  does  not  scoop  them  while  swim- 
ming, like  the  White  Pelican.  Like  the  white  species,  however,  it 
selects  particular  localities  lor  breeding,  and  will  return  to  them  from 
year  to  year.  Pelican  Island,  in  the  Indian  River,  Florida,  is  a  noted 
breeding  ground,  where  thousands  congregate  for  this  purpose.  Here 
they  breed  in  March  and  April.  Mr.  Stuart  says  they  breed  in  large 
communities  on  the  islands  along  the  Gulf  coast,  most  always  placing 
the  bulky  nests  in  mangrove  trees ;  often  as  many  as  a  dozen  nests 
are  built  in  a  single  tree.  They  are  made  of  sticks  and  weeds,  lined 
with  grasses.  Many  nests  are  also  placed  on  the  ground.  Along  the 
gulf  coast  fresh  eggs  may  be  found  in  May  and  June.  From  two  to 
five  eggs  are  laid,  three  being  the  most  common  number.  Six  selected 
specimens  measure:  2.85x1.95,  3.02x2.04,  3.03x1.87,  3.08x1.89, 
3.00x2.01,  3.12x1.87.  They  are  chalky  white,  and  in  every  respect, 
except  size,  resemble  those  of  the  White  Pelican. 

127.  Pelecanus  californicus    Ridgw. 

California  Brown  Pelican. 

Hab.  Pacific  coast,  from  Washington  Territory  to  Mexico  and  beyond,  and  probably  to  Mexico  and 
Central  America. 

The  general  habits,  nesting  and  eggs  of  the  Brown  Pelican  found 
on  the  Pacific  coast  are  exactly  the  same  as  those  of  P.  fuscus.  It  is 
a  larger  bird  and  has  a  red  pouch  during  the  pairing  season. 

It  is  said  to  breed  on  islands  on  the  western  coast  of  Mexico,  and 
inland  marshes.  Breeds  abundantly  in  Honduras,  along  the  coasts  and 
in  the  interior. 

128.  Fregata  aquila    (Linn.)    [639.] 

Man-o'-'War  Bird. 

Hab.    Tropical  and  subtropical  coasts  generally;  in  America,  north  to  Florida,  Texas,  and  California, 

and  casually  on  the  Atlantic  coast  to  Nova  Scotia. 

This  great  bird  is  known  by  several  names,  such  as  Frigate  bird. 
Frigate  Pelican,  Man-of- War's  bird,  and  "  Hurricane  bird."  The  latter 
name  comes  from  the  West  Indies,  where  its  appearance  is  said  to  be 
prognastic  of  bad  weather,  always  flying  low  just  before  a  gale.  It  is 
a  maritime  bird  inhabiting  tropical  and  subtropical  coasts  of  the  globe, 
but  often  wanders  far  from  its  home  in  the  tropics.  A  specimen,  which 
is  now  in  the  possession  of  Dr.  Renshaw,  of  Sugar  Grove,  Ohio,  was 


M  H 


'  i 


k.*.m!l 


hA 


uax-  V 


60 


NESTS   AND   EGGS   OF 


"< 


^!  tTl-Miil 


taken  by  Mr.  Emmet  Adcock  in  Fairfield  county,  Ohio,  in  the  Spring 
of  1880. 

The  Frigate  bird  is  occasionally  met  with  on  the  southern  coasts 
of  Europe  and  on  those  of  Africa — on  Ascension  Island  and  the  Island 
of  St.  Helena.  In  the  Atlantic  it  visits  the  Bermudas.  On  the  Pacific 
coast  it  wanders  as  far  north  as  San  Francisco,  and  breeds  on  islands 
off  the  coast  of  Western  Mexico.  It  is  said  not  to  breed  anywhere  on 
the  Gulf  coast  except  at  two  points  at  Key  West. 

This  bird  is  noted  for  its  majestic  flight  and  graceful  aerial  motions, 
often  soaring  to  sublime  elevations.  It  may  be  known  by  its  immense 
wings  and  deeply  forked  tail,  and  colors  of  brownish-black,  glossed 
with  green. 

It  is  a  constant  resident  of  the  Bahamas,  breeding  on  some  of  the 
Keys  in  March.  The  nests  are  placed  upon  the  mangroves,  and  are 
composed  of  sticks  loosely  thrown  together ;  sometimes  they  are  made 
on  the  bare  rocks.  The  Frigate  bird  breeds  in  large  communities  on 
the  islands  off  the  Pacific  coast  of  Central  America,  nesting  on  high 
trees  and  low  shrubs.  A  single  egg  is  laid,  of  a  uniform,  chalky  white 
color,  and  oval  in  shape;  sizes  range  from  2.50  to  2.75  long,  by  1.70  to 
1.80  broad. 

129.    Merganser  Americanus    (Cass.)    [636] 

American    Merganser. 

Hab.     North  America  generally. 

The  Sheldrake,  Goosander  or  Merganser,  as  it  is  variously  called, 
is  a  common  bird  throughout  North  America,  breeding  from  the  North- 
ern States  northward.  It  has  lately  been  found  breeding  in  New 
Mexico ;  Mr.  N.  S.  Goss  having  seen  a  female  with  four  little  ones 
July  2,  on  the  Pecos  River.*  Is  very  abundant  on  fresh  as  well  as  salt 
waters  in  spring  and  fall.  The  three  species  of  Mergansers  or  Shel- 
drakes with  the  "  saw -bill "  are  commonly  called  "  Fish  Ducks."  Their 
flesh  is  rank  and  unpalatable.  The  male  may  be  recognized  by  his 
large  size,  white  breast  and  green  gloss  on  the  head  and  neck,  the  lat- 
ter scarcely  crested ;  the  female,  which  is  much  smaller  than  the  male, 
has  a  deep  red  head  and  neck,  with  the  crest  better  developed ;  under 
parts  salmon-tinted.  The  nest  is  made  in  hollow  trees,  after  the  man- 
ner of  the  Wood  Duck,  and  is  composed  of  moss,  leaves  and  grasses, 
warmly  lined  with  down  from  the  bird.  In  Northern  Maine  eggs  are 
deposited  in  the  latter  part  of  May  or  the  first  of  June.  The  eggs  are 
six  or  eight  and  sometimes  ten  in  number ;  of  yellowish  or  buff  color, 
and  measure  from  2.50  to  2.80  by  1.70  to  1.80. 

'  »Auk,  Vol.  IV,  p.  Mi. 


'A.rif^ 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


130.    Merganser  serrator    (Linn.)    [637.] 


61 


Red-breasted    Merganser. 

Hab.     Northern  portion  of  Northern  Hemisphere;  south,  in  winter,  throughout  the  United  States. 

An  inhabitant  of  the  more  northern  portions  of  the  Northern 
Hemisphere,  being  common  to  Europe,  Asia  and  North  America.  In 
the  latter  continent  it  is  more  abundant  than  the  M.  americamis.  Very 
common  in  the  United  States  in  winter,  where  it  is  found  breeding  in 
suitable  localities  in  the  months  of  May  and  June.  The  Red-breasted 
Merganser  breeds  abundantly  in  Newfoundland,  Labrador,  the  fur 
countries  of  British  America  and  Alaska.  It  is  a  resident  of  Green- 
land and  Iceland. 

It  nests  usually  on  the  ground  among  brushwood,  surrounded  with 
tall  grasses  and  at  a  short  distance  from  water ;  most  generally  it  is 
concealed  by  a  projecting  rock  or  other  object.  The  nest  is  made  of 
leaves  and  mosses,  lined  with  feathers  and  down,  which  are  plucked 
from  the  breast  of  the  bird. 

The  number  of  eggs  in  a  set  varies  from  six  to  twelve,  usually 
about  nine  or  ten ;  oval  or  elliptical  in  shape,  and  vary  in  size  from 
2.48  to  2.65  long  by  1.65  to  1.82  broad.  The  color  is  a  yellowish  or 
reddish-drab,  sometimes  a  dull  buify-green. 

131.    Lophodytes  cucuUatus    (Linn.)    [638.J   ,       ,   ,. 


Hab. 


Hooded    Merganser. 

North  America  generally,  south  to  Mexico  and  Cuba. 


This  handsome  Merganser  is  an  exclusi\'ely  Nortli  American 
species.  In  suitable  places  throughout  its  range,  in  wooded  districts 
near  water  almost  wherever  it  occurs,  it  may  be  found  breeding.  It 
nests  in  hollows  of  trees  or  stumps,  lining  the  cavities  with  fine 
grasses,  leaves,  feathers  and  down.  In  some  localities  the  bird  is 
called  "Water  Pheasant"  and  "Hairy-head."  Anyone  can  recognize 
the  male  of  this  species  by  its  striking  black  and  white  colors  and  its 
magnificent,  erect,  compressed,  semi -circular  black  and  white  crest. 
The  general  color  of  the  head,  neck,  sides  and  upper  portions  of  the  fe- 
male are  grayish  -  brown  ;  white  beneath,  and  the  crest  is  not  so  promi- 
nent. As  many  as  eighteen  eggs  have  been  found  in  a  single  nest ; 
ten  or  twelve,  however,  appear  to  be  the  most  common  numbers,  and 
often  as  few  as  six  are  laid.  ,, -^/^  ^    ^ 

They  are  of  a  delicate  pearly  -  white,  rounded  oval  and  measure 
from  2.05  to  2.25  long  by  1.70  to  1.75  broad. 

132.    Anas  boschas     Linn.     [601.] 

Mallard. 

Hab.  Northern  parts  of  Northern  Hemisphere;  in  America  south  to  Panama  and  Cuba,  breeding 
southward  to  the  Northern  United  States. 

The  Green-head,  or  Mallard,  is  one  of  the  most  highly  esteemed 


t 

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i 

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i  t 

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62 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


ducks,  its  habitat  being  nearly  cosmopolitan,  almost  everywhere  domes- 
ticated. It  is  the  original  of  our  barn-yard  duck.  A  common  bird  in 
North  America  at  large,  breeding  sparingly  throughout  the  United 
States.  In  the  sloughs  and  meadow  marshes  of  the  northern  tier  of 
states  this  duck  breeds  more  or  less  abundantly  in  the  month  of  June. 
Rare  in  New  England,  scarcely  found  beyond  Massachusetts,  and  is  re- 
placed farther  northeast  by  the  Black  Mallard,  or  Dusky  Duck. 

Mr.  A.  M.  Shields  writes  me  that  this  is,  perhaps,  the  most  com- 
mon of  the  ducks  in  the  vicinity  of  Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  breeding  from 
the  first  of  April  to  the  last  of  June,  selecting  for  its  nesting  place  the 
tall  grass  in  fields  not  far  from  a  lake  or  river.  The  eggs  are  six  to 
ten  in  number,  pale,  yellowish  drab,  or  olivaceous-green,  but  most 
generally  the  latter  color  when  fresh ;  elliptical ;  average  size,  2.25  x  1.25. 

133.    Anas  obscura     Gmel,    [602.] 

Blaok  Dnok. 

Hab.  Eastern  North  America,  west  to  Utah,  Texas,  north  to  Labrador,  breeding  from  the  Northern 
United  States  northward. 

The  Dusky  Duck,  or  Black  Mallard,  is  much  less  common  in  the 
interior  than  along  the  Atlantic  coast.  The  characteristic  and  one  of 
the  commonest  ducks  of  New  England,  where  it  breeds  at  large,  and 
from  thence  northeastward,  but  is  most  numerous  during  the  migra- 
tions. The  eggs  are  from  six  to  twelve  in  number,  usually  seven  or 
eight;  are  elliptical,  or  nearly  so  in  shape;  measure  about  2.30 x  1.70, 
and  vary  from  pale  buff  to  pale  greenish-buff.  Incubation  period 
is  from  the  last  of  April  to  the  early  part  of  June.  The  nest  is  placed 
on  the  ground,  in  grass  or  rushes  in  the  neighborhood  of  ponds,  pools, 
and  streams,  in  meadows  and  sometimes  in  swamps.  It  is  a  large  and 
neatly  arranged  structure  of  weeds  and  grass,  nicely  hollowed  and  lined 
with  down  and  feathers  from  the  breast  of  the  bird.*  In  rare  instances 
it  has  been  known  to  nest  in  the  hollow  of  a  tree,  or  a  "  stub  "  project- 
ing from  the  water  of  a  swamp.  Mr.  Frazar  found  the  nest  of  this 
Duck  in  Labrador  usually  placed  upon  the  "  outreaching  branches  of 
stunted  spruces,"  which  are  seldom  higher  than  four  feet.  The  bird 
may  be  known  by  its  resembling  the  female  of  the  Mallard,  A.  boschas^ 
but  darker  in  color. 

134.    Anas  fulvigula.     Ridgw.    [603.] 

Florida  Dnok. 

Hab.  Florida;  Kansas. 

This  is  a  local,  lighter  colored  species,  which  is  resident  in  Flor- 
ida. They  are  smaller  than  the  northern  birds.  The  eggs  are  de- 
posited during  the  first  and  second  weeks  in  April.  They  are  similar 
to  those  of  the  Black  Mallard,  but  smaller,  averaging  2.15x1.61. 

*  Oology  of  New  England,  p.  96. 


:-==5»*i 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


68 


135.  Anas  strepera    Linn.    [604.] 

Oadirall. 

Hab.  Nearly  cosmopolitan,     In  North  America  breeding  chiefly  within  the  United  States. 

The  Gadwall,  or  Gray  Duck,  is  a  widely  diffused  species  in  most 
parts  of  the  world.  In  North  America,  during  the  breeding  season,  it 
may  be  found  nesting  anywhere,  especially  south  of  the  British  Prov- 
inces. Common  in  meadows,  and  in  grain  fields  near  marshes  and 
lakes  in  Minnesota,  nesting  in  the  middle  of  June  and  depositing  from 
eight  to  twelve  eggs  in  a  cavity  of  the  ground. 

Mr.  A.  M.  Shields  states  that  this  Duck  is  a  re.ndent  in  the  vicinity 
of  Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  but  is  not  met  with  in  great  numbers.  He  found 
a  nest  containing  eleven  eggs  on  April  16,  these  were  apparently  about 
two  weeks  incubated.  The  nest  was  a  slight  hollow,  amongst  a  thick 
bunch  of  weeds,  six  feet  from  the  water's  edge ;  it  was  composed  of 
fine  grass  and  feathers  from  the  breast  of  the  bird.  The  eggs  are  clay 
color  or  creamy  buff,  elliptical  in  shape,  and  measure  2.09  by  1.57. 

136.  Anas  penelope    Linn.    [606.] 

Widgeon. 

Hab.  Northern  part  of  the  Old  World.  In  North  America  breed.s  in  the  Aleution  Islands.  Occuri 
occasionally  in  the  Eastern  United  States, 

The  European  Widgeon  in  its  size  and  general  character,  resembles 
the  American  Widgeon  or  Baldpate.  In  the  south  of  Scotland  and 
throughout  England  it  is  an  abundant  winter  visitant ;  a  few  remain  to 
breed  on  the  islands  of  the  lochs  in  the  northern  portions  of  Scotland. 
It  breeds  in  Norway  and  Sweden,  and  is  the  most  abundant  of  the 
ducks  that  breed  in  Lapland,  nesting  in  the  grassy  swamps  and  lakes 
midst  tall  rushes ;  the  material  for  the  nest  being  reeds  and  grasses, 
with  a  warm  lining  of  down  and  feathers  from  the  bird's  body.  The 
eggs  are  five  to  eight  in  number,  and  their  color  is  pale  buff;  their 
average  size  is  2.23  X  1.53.  ;  '^ 

137.  Anas  americana    Gmel.    [607.]       . 

Baldpate. 

Hab.  North  America,  from  the  Arctic  Ocean  south  to  Guatemala  and  Cuba, 

The  American  Widgeon  or  Baldpate  inhabits  North  America  at 
large,  breeding  anywhere  in  suitable  localities.  This  is  one  of  the 
neatest  of  our  ducks,  and  may  be  known  by  the  spotted  neck  and 
head.  The  latter  is  white  011  top ;  the  speculum  green  and  black ;  the 
lower  neck,  scapulars,  sides  and  upper  breast  chestnut-red,  tinged  with 
ashy,  finely  banded,  all  but  the  breast,  with  dark  brown.  The  greater 
upper  wing  coverts  are  white,  tipped  with  black,  and  the  under  parts 
are  pure  white ;  the  bill  and  feet  are  grayish-blue.  The  female  is  simi- 
lar, but  lacks  the  white  crown  and  iridescence  on  the  head.     There  is 


J  -ffl 


M 


I  i. 


64 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


iiiii  ■ 
-J' 


a  great  variation  in  the  normal  coloration  of  the  plumage,  aside  from 
age  or  sex,  but  as  Dr.  Coues  says :  "  The  bird  can  not  be  mistaken 
under  any  condition ;  the  extensive  white  of  the  under  parts  and  wings 
is  recognizable  at  gun-range."  The  nest  of  this  species  is  made  on  the 
ground  in  marshes,  composed  of  grass  and  weeds,  neatly  arranged  and 
nicely  hollowed ;  it  is  usually  lined  with  the  down  and  feathers  from 
the  breast  of  the  bird. 

The  eggs  are  pale  buff,  eight  to  twelve  in  number,  measuring  2.cx) 
by  1.50,  with  slight  variations. 

[138.]    Anas  urecca.    Linn.    [611.] 

European    Teal. 

Hab.  Northern  part  of  the  Old  World.     Casiiul  in  Eastern  North  America  and  the  Aleutian  Islandi. 

This  duck,  which  resembles  very  closely  onr  American  Green- 
winged  Teal,  is  of  irregular  occurrence  in  Eastern  North  America.  In 
the  northern  portions  of  Europe  it  is  very  common,  especially  through- 
out Norway  and  Sweden.  Breeds  in  abundance  all  over  Lapland  and 
in  Northern  Russia. 

Mr.  Matliew  Clugston  informs  me  that  this  duck  is  quite  common 
in  Scotland,  where  it  nests  in  the  grassy  herbage  about  the  edges  of 
lochs.  A  few  breed  in  various  places  in  Great  Britian — as  far  south  as 
Suffolk,  England,  and  also  in  \  les.  It  is  known  to  breed  on  some  of 
the  islands  on  the  west  coast  of  Spain  and  those  on  the  northwestern 
coast  of  Africa. 

The  nest   is   formed   of  grasses   and   reeds,  warmly   lined  with 

feathers.     In  some  places  this  duck's  favorite  breeding  resorts  are  the 

bogs  and  marshes  in  grassy  fields.     The  eggs  are  commonly  eight  to 

ten  in  number;   and  sometimes  as  many  as  fifteen  are  laid.     They  are 

yellowish-white,  oval  in  shape,  and  measure  1.75  in  length  by  1.30  in 

breadth. 

139.    Anas  carolinensis    Gmelin.    [612.] 

Oreen-iviiiged  Teal. 

Hab.  North  America,  migrating  south  to  Honduras  and  Cuba. 

,  This  handsome  little  Duck  is  exceedingly  abundant  throughout 
North  America.  It  breeds  from  the  northern  borders  of  the  United 
States  northward  to  Greenland  and  Alaska.  During  the  spring  and  fall 
migrations  it  is  one  of  the  most  abundant  of  water-fowl,  frequenting 
the  small  brooks  and  ponds  as  well  as  the  larger  waters.  It  may  be 
recognized  by  its  small  size ;  the  primaries  of  the  wing-covets  are  of 
leaden-gray;  speculum  velvety  purplish-black  on  the  outer  half,  the 
inner  half  rich  green ;  bordered  in  front  with  chestnut,  fawn  or  whitish 
tips  of  the  greater  coverts,  behind  by  white  tips  of  the  secondaries,  in- 
teriorly with  purplish-black  stripes  on  the  outer  webs  of  the  length- 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


65 


ened  secondaries.  The  head  and  upper  neck  of  the  male  are  rich 
chestnut,  blackening  on  the  chin  with  a  glossy  green  patch  behind  each 
eye.  There  is  a  white  crescent  in  front  of  the  wing.  The  female 
differs  in  the  head  markings,  but  those  of  the  wing  are  the  same.  It 
is  a  well-known  and  highly  esteemed  game  bird.  The  nest  is  placed 
on  the  ground,  in  a  thick  growth  of  grass,  and  is  essentially  the  same 
as  that  of  the  Blue-winged  Teal. 

The  eggs  are  from  five  to  eight  in  number,  greenish-bufF  in  color, 
usually  ovoidal  in  shape,  sometimes  nearly  oval,  and  vary  in  size  from 
1.73  to  1.90  long  by  1.22  to  1.32  broad. 

140.     Anas  discors    Linn.     [609.] 

Blnc-winBod  Teal. 

Hab.  North  America,  but  chiefly  the  Eastern  Province;  north  to  Alaskr.  and  south  to  the  West  Indies 
and  Northern  South  America. 

A  beautiful  little  duck,  inhabiting  North  America  in  general, 
but  chiefly  the  Eastern  portions.  During  the  breeding  seasons  it  is 
found  in  the  same  localities  as  the  Green-wing,  but  is  more  abundant 
in  the  northern  tier  of  States  at  that  season  than  the  latter.  This  Duck 
feeds  chiefly  upon  vegetable  matter,  and  its  flesh  is  tender  and  luscious. 
It  may  be  known  by  its  small  size,  blue  wings  and  narrow  bill.  The 
feet  are  yellowish.  The  male  has  a  white,  crescent-shaped  spot  in  front 
of  the  eye.  The  female  is  brown  throughout,  with  the  feathers  edged 
with  whitish  which  becomes  prominent  below.  The  nest  is  made  on  the 
ground,  in  a  thick  patch  or  tussock  of  grass,  usually  in  meadows,  the 
border  of  ponds  or  streams  and  swampy  places.  It  is  composed  of  soft 
pieces  of  grass  and  weeds,  lined  with  down  and  feathers  from  the  breast 
of  the  bird. 

The  eggs  are  greenish  or  bufT,  lighter  in  color  than  those  of  the 
Green-winged  Teal ;  they  vary  from  ovate  to  ovoidal,  and  are  sometimes 
nearly  ov.il  in  shape ;  six  to  ten  and  twelve  in  number,  and  vary  in  size 
from  1.30  to  1.35  broad  by  1.90  to  1.95  long. 

141.    Anas  cyanoptera    Vieill.    [610.] 

Cinnamon  Teal. 

Hab.  Western  America,  from  the  Columbia  River  south  to  Chili,  Patagonia  and  Falkland  Islands;  east 
in  North  /  ca  to  the  Rocky  Mountains;  casual  in  the  Mississippi  Valley. 

Tui.  i-  ^tty  South  American  Teal  is  abundant  in  the  United  States 
west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  breeds  anywhere  in  this  range ;  Col- 
orado, Utah,  Nevada,  California,  Idaho,  Oregon,  etc.  In  the  adult  male 
the  head,  neck  and  under  parts  are  rich  chestnut,  the  wing  coverts  are 
sky-blue,  as  in  the  Blue-winged  Teal.  The  speculum  is  green  and  is 
set  between  the  white  tips  of  the  greater  coverts  and  the  secondaries. 


y  4 


1.  n 


nil 


66 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OP 


Its  habits  on  the  whole  do  not  differ  from  those  of  its  well-known  ally, 
the  Blue-winjj. 

Mr.  A.  M.  Shields  regards  it  as  common  in  the  vicinity  of  Los 
Angeles,  where  it  breeds  in  great  numbers ;  nesting  in  the  first  week 
of  May.  Its  favorite  breeding  places  are  in  fields  of  tall  grass  or  clover, 
in  close  proximity  to  water.  He  says  the  complement  of  eggs  ranges 
from  nine  to  thirteen,  and  that  the  nest  is  so  compactly  woven  of 
grass,  feathers  and  down  that  the  entire  structure  may  be  picked  up 
without  its  coming  apart. 

The  eggs  are  creamy-white  or  pale  buff;  six  to  twelve;  one  end 
smaller  than  the  other. 

Ten  eggs  collected  by  Dr.  James  C.  Merrill,  near  Fort  Klamath, 
Oregon,  June  14,  1887,  exhibit  the  following  dimensions:  1.90x1.38, 
1.82x1.37,  1.88x1.39,  1.90  X  1.38,  1.92x1.39,  1.88x1.38,  1.85x1.40, 
1.94x1.38,  1.89x1.36,  1.83x1.34;   the  average  size  is  1.88x1.38. 

The  nest  was  built  at  the  edge  of  a  marsh ;  it  was  made  of  grass 
blades  and  stems,  warmly  lined  with  down. 

142.     Spatula  clypeata    (Linn.)    [608.] 

Shoveller. 

Hab.  Northern  Hemisphere.  In  North  America.  Breeding  from  Alaska  to  Texas.  Not  abundant 
on  the  Atlantic  coast. 

The  Shoveller,  or  Spoonbill  Duck,  is  common  in  the  northern 
portions  of  the  globe.  Said  to  have  the  most  extended  distribution  of 
any  species  of  the  duck  tribe,  being  more  or  less  common  in  every 
portion  of  Europe  and  Asia,  except  in  the  extreme  north  ;  is  foimd  in 
Northern  and  Central  Africa,  and  other  portions  of  the  tropical  world. 
It  is  not  common  in  England,  where  it  breeds  sparingly,  but  is  more 
abundant  in  Scotland. 

In  North  America  this  peculiar-locking  duck  breeds  throughout 
its  range  in  all  suitable  places ;  it  winters  chiefly  in  the  south.  It  may 
easily  be  recognized  by  its  broad  bill,  blue  wing  coverts  and  green 
speculum. 

The  iris  is  yellow  and  the  feet  bright  orange.  The  Spoonbill 
makes  his  nest  on  the  ground  in  boggy  places  which  are  difficult  of 
access.     It  is  composed  of  grass  and  weeds. 

The  eggs  are  greenish-gray,  or  faintly  bluish  ;  elliptical ;  six  to  ten 
in  number;  averaging  in  size  about  2.10  by  1.50. 

143.    Dafila  acuta    (Linn.)    [605.] 

Pintail. 

Hab.    Northern  hemisphere.     In  America  migrates  south  to  Panama  and  Cuba. 

In  North  America  the  Pintail,  or  Sprig-tail,  is  a  common  species 
everywhere,  being  found  as  far  north  as  Greenland  and  the  Arctic 


!  1 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


67 


coast,  and  south  to  the  Isthmus  of  Panama  and  to  Cuba,  breeding  from 
the  Northern  States  northward  throughout  the  Fur  Countries  to  Alaska, 
and  in  Greenland.  It  is  abundant  in  the  United  States  during  the 
spring  and  fall  migrations.  In  the  vicinity  of  Los  Angeles,  California, 
Mr.  Shields  says  it  is  very  abundant  during  the  entire  winter,  and  a  few 
remain  to  breed.  The  place  usually  selected  for  the  nest  is  in  tall 
bunches  of  prairie  grass,  seldom  far  from  water.  The  number  of  eggs 
laid  is  commonly  eight  or  nine ;  these  are  deposited  about  the  middle 
of  May.  If  the  eggs  are  taken  the  bird  will  immediately  deposit  a 
second  set,  which  is  seldom  more  than  five  or  six  in  number. 

The  male  bird,  inclusive  of  the  long  central  tail-feathers,  is  about 
twenty-nine  inches  long;  the  general  color  of  the  upper  parts  is  gray- 
ish, delicately  penciled  with  white ;  either  sex  may  be  known  by  the 
very  long  and  slender  neck,  but  the  female  is  shorter,  being  about 
twenty- two  inches  long,  the  central  tail  feathers  making  a  difference 
of  seven  inches. 

In  the  far  north  this  species  deposits  as  many  as  twelve  eggs  in  a 
single  nest.  These  are  of  a  dull  grayish  olive ;  elongate  ellipsoidal  in 
shape  and  measure  from  2.10  to  2.30  long  by  about  1.52  broad. 

144.    Aix  sponsa    (Linn.)    [613.] 

"Wood  Dnok. 

Hab.    Temperate  North  America,  breeding  throughout  its  range. 

An  exquisite  bird,  the  most  beautiful  of  all  our  ducks ;  in  fact,  no 
description  can  give  a  sufficient  conception  of  the  variety  and  lustre  of 
its  plumage.  It  is  crested,  the  head  iridescent  green  and  purple,  with 
parallel  curved  white  superciliary  and  post-ocular  stripes  and  a  broad 
white  throat  patch.  The  iris  and  edges  of  eyelids  are  red.  In  the  fe- 
male the  head  is  mostly  gray.  A  freshly-killed  specimen  has  all  the 
variegated  tints  to  be  seen  in  the  rain-bow.  It  is  well-named  Bridal 
Duck.  It  inhabits  North  America  at  large  and  is  especially  abundant 
in  the  United  States,  breeding  almost  wherever  found.  Frequents 
the  wooded  portions  of  the  country  near  water.  The  nest  is  made  in 
the  hollow  of  decayed  trees,  often  at  the  depth  of  four  to  six  feet.  It 
is  composed  of  twigs,  weeds  or  grass,  warmly  lined  with  the  down  from 
breast  of  the  bird.  What  is  remarkable  about  the  entrance  to  the  nest 
is,  that  it  is  often  so  small  that  it  would  seem  almost  impossible  for  the 
bird  to  pass  in  and  out. 

The  tree  in  which  the  nest  is  made  is  frequently  situated  a  consid- 
erable distance  from  water  in  some  retired  place.  The  young  are  car- 
ried to  water  in  the  bill  of  the  parent  bird.  The  eggs  number  from 
eight  to  twelve,  and  I  have  seen  several  sets  of  fourteen ;  they  are  of 


IBHWh     llBllll 


m 


68 


NESTS  AND   EGGS  OF 


a  pale  buff  color,  averaging  in  size  about  2.00  by  1.50,  but  there  is  a 
great  variation  in  this  respect  when  a  large  series  of  specimens  from 
different  parts  of  the  country  are  examined.  When  robbed  of  its  eggs 
the  bird  will  often  lay  a  second  set.     '  ,  ■  ■:,,■■■ 

.        "  [145.]     Netta  Ruflna    (Pall.) 

Rnfona-orested  !Onokt 

Hab.    Eastern  Hemisphere:  accidental  in  the  United  States. 

The  claim  of  this  species  to  a  place  in  the  North  American  fauna 
rests  on  a  single  specimen  obtained  in  Fulton  Market,  New  York  City, 
February  2d,  1872.  It  is  supposed  to  have  been  shot  on  Long  Island 
Sound. 

The  bird  is  found  in  Southern  and  Eastern  Europe,  and  in  por- 
tions of  Africa  and  Asia.  The  eggs  are  described  as  being  of  a  pale 
olive-buff  and  measure  2.19  x  1.68. 

146. 


Hab. 


Aythya  americana    (Eyt.)    [618.] 

Redlieadw 

North  America,  breeding  from  California  and  Maine  northward. 


The  Redhead  or  Poachard,  so  frequently  confounded  with  th*^  Can- 
vas-back, is  a  common  duck  throughout  North  America.  It  breeds  in 
all  parts  of  the  Fur  Countries,  and  is  very  abundant  in  the  marshes  of 
Manitoba  throughout  the  summer  months.  It  nests  in  suitable  locali- 
ties of  various  northern  states,  Maine,  Michigan,  Wisconsin,  Minne- 
sota and  Dakota. 

The  Redhead  also  breeds  in  the  marshes  of  California.  Mr. 
Shields  mentions  it  nesting  in  a  swamp  near  Los  Angeles  about  the 
middle  of  June.*  The  nest  is  built  on  the  groitnd  in  thick  grass  or 
weeds  and  is  composed  of  aquatic  plant  stems  and  grasses,  lined  with 
the  down  and  feathers  from  the  breast  of  the  bird.  The  nest  is  often 
constructed  in  a  mass  of  reeds  over  water  after  the  manner  of  a  Coot's. 
Mr.  Shields  found  the  nests  to  contain  from  seven  to  fourteen  eggs. 
Eight  or  ten  are  more  commonly  laid  further  north.  They  are  creamy- 
white,  elliptical,  and  average  2. 40  by  1.70,  with  slight  variation. 

147.    Aythya  vallisneria    (Wils.)    [617.] 

Canvaa-baok. 

Hab.    Nearly  all  of  Nor.hAmerca. 

The  celebrated  Canvas-back  Duck  is  an  exclusively  North  Ameri- 
can species,  found  in  the  interior  and  on  both  coasts  as  far  north  as 
the  Arctic  Ocean  and  southward  to  Central  America.  Breeds  on  the 
intedot  mi.         ',  rivers  and  lakes  from  the  Northwestern  States  to 

*  Young  Oolocist,  a  magazine  devoted  to  the  study  '>'  birds,  their  nests  and  eggs,  published  by  Frank 
H.  Lattin,  Albion,  N.  Y.,  Vol.  I.,  p.  90. 


NORTH  AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


69 


Alaska.  Nests  commonly  in  many  of  the  lakes  and  ponds  of  Mani- 
toba. On  the  marshes  and  lakes  in  the  mountain  valleys  of  Oregon 
the  Canvas-back  constructs  ics  nest  at  the  edge  of  the  water  or  near 
it  in  tall  rushes  or  grass.  The  Canvas-back  is  the  highly  esteemed 
table  duck.  When  feeding  on  wild  celery  the  flesh  is  said  to  acquire  a 
peculiarly  fine  flavor,  but  under  other  circumstances  not  one  person  in- 
ten  thousand  can  tell  it  from  any  other  duck,  on  the  table.  It  is  often 
confounded  with  the  Redhead,  but  there  is  no  occasion  for  this,  even 
when  the  different  sexes  come  to  hand  in  any  state  of  plumage. 
Although  both  species  ere  similar  in  plumage,  their  heads  alone 
will  differentiate  them.  The  Redhead  has  a  high  forehead,  while  the 
Canvas-back's  head  slopes  gradually  down  to  the  bill  and  the  bill  rises 
high  on  the  forehead.  In  the  male  Redhead  the  entire  head  is  clear 
chestnut  red,  with  a  coppery  tint,  and  the  bill  pale  grayish-blue,  with 
a  dark  tip.  In  the  Canvas-back  nearly  the  whole  head  is  blackish- 
brown,  and  the  bill  blackish.  The  general  color  of  the  females  of  both 
is  brownish  throughout.  The  nest  of  the  Canvas-back  is  generally 
made  on  the  ground  in  marshy  places;  tall,  rank  grass  is  usually 
selected.  It  is  composed  of  grass  and  weeds,  less  thickly  lined  with 
feathers  than  the  nests  of  other  ducks  are. 

The  eggs  ?re  from  six  to  ten   in  number,  pale  grayish-drab  or 
greenish-buff,  elliptical,  and  measure  from  2.25  to  2.50  long  by  1.70  to 


1-75 


broad. 


148.    Aythya  marila  nearctica    Stejn.     [614.] 


Amerioau    Soanp    Sack. 

Hab.   North  America,  breeding  f«r  north. 

This  and  the  next  species  are  closely  allied,  and  are  variously 
known  as  Blue-bills,  Raft  Duck,  Flocking  Fowl  and  Shufflers.  This 
one  is  called  Big  Blackhead  or  Greater  Scaup  Duck,  on  account  of  its 
size.  It  inhabits  the  whole  of  North  America,  and  breeds  far  north. 
It  is  not  so  abundant  in  the  United  States  as  the  next  species.  In 
many  of  the  river  valleys  and  in  the  lakes  of  Manitoba  it  is  a  common 
summer  resident,  where  it  nests  on  the  ground  in  swampy  places.  The 
nest  material  is  grass  and  weeds,  and  the  lining  is  down  from  the  breast 
of  the  bird. 

In  the  male  the  head,  neck  and  the  front  part  of  the  body  are 
black,  the  former  with  a  green  gloss ;  the  back  and  sides  whitish,  finely 
waved  in  zig-zag  with  black ;  underneath  and  speculum  of  wing  is 
white.  The  bill  is  blue,  with  black  nail ;  iris  yellow.  In  the  female 
the  head  and  anterior  parts  brown ;   face  pure  white. 

The  eggs  of  the  American  Scaup  Duck  are  of  a  pale,  buffy 
olive-gray,  or  ashy-green,  elliptical,  six  to  ten  in  number,  size  2.54  x  1.71. 


f  n  i 


I 


'  ! 


H 


70  NESTS  AND   EGGS  OF 

149.    Aythya  afflnis    (Err.)    [615.] 

Lesser  Scanp  Dnok. 

Hab.     North  America  in  general,  migrating  south  to  Guatemala  and  the  West  Indies. 

As  its  name  indicates,  this  species  is  smaller  than  the  last,  to 
which  it  is  very  similar.  Breeds  chiefly  north  of  the  United  States. 
It  is  a  common  summer  resident  in  the  lakes,  marshes,  ponds,  and 
rivers  of  Western  Manitoba  and  throughout  other  portions  of  the  fur 
countries  northward.  Its  nesting  habits  and  its  eggs  are  the  same  as 
A.  marila  nearctica.     The  average  size  of  the  eggs  is  about  2.25  x  1.58. 

150.    Aythya  collaris    (Donov.)    [616.] 

Ring-neoked  Dnok. 

Hab.    North  America,  migrates  south  to  Gautemala  and  the  West  Indies. 

Ring-billed  Blackhead,  Marsh  Blue-bill  and  Ring-necked  Scaup 
Duck  are  names  by  which  this  species  is  commonly  known.  In  the 
United  States  it  is  a  common  spring  and  fall  migrant,  and  breeds  from 
Maine,  Minnesota,  Wisconsin,  and  other  northern  States  northward. 
In  some  parts  of  Manitoba  it  is  very  abundant,  especially  in  the  Red 
River  Valley,  where  it  breeds  in  the  marshes  of  the  lakes  and  ponds, 
among  the  reeds  and  thick  grasses.  The  nest  is  made  of  fine  grasses, 
and  slightly  lined  with  feathers.  In  its  general  appearance,  the  bird 
is  similar  to  the  foregoing,  but  the  adult  male  has  an  orange-brown  ring 
around  the  neck ;  the  female  has  no  co Jar,  and  the  head  and  neck  are 
brown.  This  bird  may  be  known  in  all  stages  of  plumage  by  the 
broad  bill  and  gray  speculum.  The  Ring-neck  lays  from  six  to  twelve 
eggs,  varying  from  grayish  to  bufif  color ;  they  are  elliptical  in  shape, 
and  measure  from  2.25  to  2.30  by  1.60  to  1.65. 

151.    Glaucionetta  clangula  americana    (  Bonap.)    [620.] 

American  Golden-eye. 

Hab.  North  America,  breeding  from  Maine  and  the  British  Provinces  northward;  migrates  south  to 
Cuba. 

The  American  Golden-eye,  Whistler,  Garrot,  or  "  Great-Head,"  is 
very  similar  to  the  next  species.  It  has  a  large  round  white  spot 
before  the  ey;  not  touching  the  base  of  the  bill  throughout.  It  is 
given  the  name  of  Whistler  from  the  peculiar  noise  of  the  wings  while 
flying,  and  Great  Head  from  its  large  and  beautifully  created  head.  It 
is  an  abundant  species  throughout  the  fur  countries,  where  it  frequents 
the  rivers  and  fresh-water  lakes  in  great  numbers.  Breeds  as  far  north 
as  Alaska,  where,  on  the  Yukon,  it  nests  about  the  middle  of  June. 
Like  the  Wood  Duck,  it  constructs  its  nests  in  hollow  trees  and 
decayed  trunks.  It  is  made  of  grass,  leaves,  and  moss,  lined  with 
down  from  the  bird's  breast. 

The  eggs  are  from  six  to  ten  in  number,  ashy  green  in  color, 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


71 


rounded-oval  in  shape,  and  measure  from  2.30  to  2.55  long  by  1.70  to 
1.78  broad. 

152.    Glaucionetta  islandica    (Gmel.)    [619.] 

Bax>ro'w'8  Golden-eye. 

Hab.    Northern  North  America,  south  in  winter  to  New  York,  Illinois  and  Utah.   Greenland;  Iceland. 

The  Rocky  Mountain  Garret,  or  Golden-eye,  is  almost  exclusively 
a  North  American  species,  breeding  from  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence 
in  the  east  and  the  mountains  of  Colorado  in  the  west  to  high  north- 
ern regions.  It  k  a  resident  of  Greenland  and  Iceland.  It  may  be 
known  by  the  large  triangular  white  spot  before  the  eye  running  up  to 
a  point,  applied  against  the  entire  base  of  the  bill  and  the  division  of 
the  white  area  on  the  wing.  The  head  is  moderately  puffy,  with  an 
occipital  crest,  and  the  color  of  ^he  gloss  is  chiefly  purple  and  violet. 
The  W\  is  black  or  greenish-dusis.y  and  the  iris  golden-yellow.  In  the 
female  the  head  is  snuff-brown  and  no  white  patch  in  front  of  the  eye. 
This  bird,  like  the  last,  makes  its  nest  in  hollow  trees,  of  grass,  sticks 
and  weeds,  lined  with  feathers.  Mr.  Edwin  Carter  was  the  first  to  find 
the  nest  and  eggs  of  this  species  in  the  mountains  of  Colorado  in 
1876.  From  six  to  U  _■-  eggs  are  laid,  these  are  usually  elliptical  in 
shape,  and  measure  from  2.25  to  2.30  long  by  1.60  to  1.65  broad. 

153.    Charitonetta  albeola    (Linn.)    [621.] 

Buffle-head. 

Hab.  North  America;  south  to  Cuba  jnd  Mexico.  Breeds  from  Maine  northward,  through  the  Fur 
Countries  and  Alaska. 

This  duck  is  variously  named,  as  Butter-ball,  "  Dipper,"  "  Butter- 
box,"  "  Spirit  Duck  "  and  "  Hell-diver."  It  dives  with  the  greatest 
of  ease,  slipping  under  the  water  almost  as  quickly  as  a  grebe.  Its  ex- 
pertness  in  diving  enables  it  to  obtain  food  in  very  deep  water.  The 
Bufile-head  is  peculiarly  an  American  species,  but  of  accidental  occur- 
rence in  Europe.  In  Manitoba  and  throughout  all  the  Fur  Countries 
it  is  a  common  summer  resident,  breeding  as  far  north  as  Alaska.  The 
nests  are  concealed  in  hollows  of  trees  or  stumps,  near  the  banks  of 
streams.  Th^y  are  lined  with  down  and  feathers.  The  Butter-ball 
breeds  occasionally  in  Northern  Maine.  In  the  United  States  it  is  an 
abundant  spring  and  fall  migrant,  and  in  many  places  a  winter  resi- 
dent. The  male  is  one  of  the  handsomest  of  our  small  ducks.  The 
head  is  particularly  puffy,  of  varied  rich  iridescence,  with  a  large 
showy  white  patch  on  each  side  behind  the  eye.  The  broad  black  and 
white  pattern  of  his  upper  coat  stands  out  in  strong  contrast  against  a 
glossy  white  breast.  The  female  is  smaller  and  a  very  insignificant 
looking  duck ;  the  head  is  scarcely  puffy,  dark  gray,  with  traces  of  the 
white  auricular  patch. 


1 


72 


NESTS  AND   EGGS  OF 


I 


The  eggs  of  this  duck  vary  from  buff  to  a  creamy-white  or  gray- 
ish-olive ;  ellipsoidal  in  form  and  range  from  six  to  fourteen  in  num- 
ber; sizes  from  1.95  to  2.05  long  by  1.35  to  1.50  broad. 

154.    Clangula  hyemalis    (Linn.)    [623]  •?; 

Old-nqna'Wa  ,,     ' 

Hab.  Northern  hemisphere;  in  North  America  south  to  the  Potomac  and  the  Ohio.  Breeds  far 
northward. 

The  Long-tailed  Duck,  Old  Wife  or  South-southerly,  as  it  is  vari- 
ously called,  is  distributed  throughout  the  northern  portions  of  the 
globc;  making  its  summer  home  in  Arctic  regions.  A  resident  in 
Greenland  and  breeds  in  various  places  in  Iceland.  The  nests  are 
made  on  the  margins  of  lakes  or  ponds,  among  low  bushes  or  tall  grass ; 
they  are  constructed  of  grasses  and  generally,  but  not  always,  warmly 
lined  with  down  and  feathers.  The  eggs  are  from  six  to  twelve  in 
number.  The  Long-tailed  Duck  inhabits  the  more  northern  countries 
of  Europe  —  a  winter  visitant  to  Great  Britain,  and  it  is  found  occa- 
sionally in  Germany  and  France.  Abundant  on  the  sea-coast  of  Alas- 
ka, is  resident  on  the  Prybilof  and  Aleutian  Islands.  In  the  United 
States  it  is  found  only  in  winter.  The  male  of  the  Old-squaw  is  a 
handsome  duck,  and  may  be  recognized  by  its  long  tail  and  peculiar 
reddish-brown  and  brownish-black  and  white  markings.  The  female 
lacks  the  lengthened  tail-feathers,  and  is,  on  the  whole,  a  very  inferior 
looking  bird. 

The  eggs  of  this  species  average  2.05  by  1.49;  they  are  pale,  dull 
grayish  pea-green,  varying  to  dull  light  olive-buff. 

155.    Kiatrionicus  histrionicus    (Linn.)    [622.] 

u  .    XT     u       XT     u  »  Harleqnin  Dnok. 

Hab    Northern  North  America. 

The  beautiful  and  singulary  marked  Harlequin  "  is  an  inhabitant 
of  the  southern  part  of  the  circumpolar  zone."  It  is  not  common 
wherever  found.  In  many  parts  of  the  Old  World  it  is  only  a  rare 
or  an  occasional  visitor;  this  is  the  case  in  Great  Britain,  France  and 
Germany.  At  the  commencement  of  the  breeding  season  it  leaves  the 
sea-coast  and  retires  to  the  lakes  and  rivers  of  the  interior  regions.  A 
summary  of  this  bird's  breeding  range  is  given  by  C.  Hart  IMerriam,  as 
follows:  "In  Siberia  it  is  known  to  breed  aboui  Lake  Baikal  and  in 
the  Bureja  Mountains  (Radde) ;  in  Mantchuria  and  at  various  points  in 
the  great  Stanowi  R.ange  (Von  Middendorff ) ;  about  the  Upper  Amoor 
(Von  Schrenck),  and  in  Kamtschatka.  On  the  American  Continent  it 
has  been  found  breeding  along  the  tributaries  of  the  Yukon  in  Alaska 
(Dall) ;  in  the  interior  of  the  Fur  Countries  and  about  Hudson's  Bay 


NORTH  AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


73 


(Richardson) ;  on  the  fresh  water  ponds  of  Labrador  (Audubon),  and  in 
the  Rocky  Mountains  within  the  limits  of  tho  United  States  (in  Mon- 
tana, Cones).  It  also  nests  in  Newfoundland,  Greenland,  and  Iceland 
(Kruper)."*  Dr.  Merriam  says  that  all  accounts  agree  that  this  duck 
nests  on  the  ground  in  close  proximity  to  swiftly  running  water,  and 
states  that  he  is  also  informed  that  in  Newfoundland  the  nests  are 
built  in  hollow  trees.  In  some  of  its  breeding  groiinds  it  is  said  to 
lead  a  solitary  life,  being  found  alone  or  in  pairs  in  the  most  retired 
places  on  small  streams.  The  nest  is  composed  of  weeds,  grass,  etc., 
warmly  lined  with  down  and  feathers  from  the  breast  of  the  bird. 
When  the  female  leaves  the  eggs  she  carefully  covers  them  up  with 
down. 

In  some  places  the  Harlequins  are  called  '*  Lord  and  Lady  Ducks." 
The  male  is  second  only  to  the  Wood  Duck  in  beauty,  and  the  female 
will  bear  no  comparison  to  the  same  sex  of  that  species. 

.    The  eggs  are  six  to  eight  in  number,  rounded  oval,  yellowish-buff 
or  greenish  yellow,  and  measure  2.30  x  1.62. 

157.    Eniconetta  Stelleri    (Pall.)    [625] 

Steller'i  Dnok. 

Hab.    Arctic  and  sub-Arctic  coasts  of  Northern  Hemispnere. 

The  summer  home  of  Steller's  Duck  is  in  very  high  Arctic  lati- 
tudes. It  breeds  in  Northern  Russia,  in  Europe  and  in  Siberia,  nesting 
in  the  latter  part  of  June,  depositing  from  seven  to  nine  eggs.  It  is 
said  to  breed  on  the  inaccessible  rocks  of  Kamtschatka,  on  the  islands 
of  Bering  Sea,  and  sparingly  on  some  of  the  Aleutian  Islands.  In  its 
habits  it  resembles  the  Common  Eider.  The  nest  is  placed  on  the 
ground  and  is  made  of  grass,  thickly  lined  with  down  and  feathers 
from  the  breast  of  the  bird.  Dr.  Coues  says  the  bird  is  not  yet  com- 
mon in  collections,  though  abounding  and  sometimes  gathering  in 
enormous  flocks  on  the  islands  and  both  shores  of  Bering  Sea  and 
the  Arctic  coast  of  Northeastern  Siberia.  It  winters  mainly  on  the 
Aleutian  Islands,  and  is  usually  found  in  company  with  the  Pacific, 
Spectacled  and  King  Eiders.  The  eggs  vary  from  pale  olive-buff  to 
pale  olive  or  pale  green  and  measure  2.30  by  1.62. 

158.    Arctonetta  fischeri    (Brandt).     [626] 

Speotaoled  Eider. 

Hab.    Coast  of  Alaska,  north  to  Point  Barrow. 

This  Eider  with  a  peculiarly  dense  and  puffy  patch  of  velvet  feath- 
ers about  the  eye,  suggesting  spectacles,  has  nesting  habits  similar  to 
the  American  Eider,  ►S.  dresseri.     The  eggs  are  also  similar. 

•Bull.  Nutt  Club,  vui,  220. 


I      3 


.!!- 


74 


NESTS  AND   EGGS   OF 


II 


i  1  ,! 


'ilV 


m. 


It  inhabits  the  islands  and  coasts  from  Norton  Sound  northward  to 
Point  Barrow.  On  St.  Michael's  Island,  Alaska,  it  breeds  in  company 
with  the  Pacific  Eider  5*.  v-nigra.  The  eggs  measure  from  2.35  to 
2.57  long  by  1.55  to  1.85  broad. 

159.    Somateria  moUissima    (Linn.)    [627.]        ..  > 

Elder.' 

Hab.  Northern  Europe  and  Northeastern  North  America,  including  Greenland  and  Northern  Labra- 
dor; south  in  winter  on  the  Atlantic  Coast  to  Maine. 

The  Eider,  so  famous  for  its  down,  which  has  become  an  article 
of  commerce  and  luxury,  is  common  along  the  Northern  Atlantic 
coasts  of  Europe  and  America.  The  great  demand  for  its  down  has 
caused  the  inhabitants  of  Iceland,  Norway,  and  other  parts  of  Europe 
to  protect  it  during  the  breeding  season.  In  these  places  the  Eider  be- 
comes very  tame.  It  is  a  resident  of  Greenland,  where  it  nests  in  the 
latter  part  of  June  or  the  first  week  of  July.  On  some  of  the  small 
islands  on  the  coast  of  Iceland  it  has  become  almost  domesticated, 
breeding  in  vast  numbers,  nesting  on  the  grassy  banks,  between  large 
stones,  on  rocks,  and  in  every  available  hollow  which  will  nold  the 
nest.  The  nest  is  made  of  sea-weed,  lined  with  the  down  plucked  from 
the  breast  of  the  bird.  This  is  augmented  as  incubation  proceeds  and 
the  quantity  of  down  often  becomes  so  great  that  the  eggs  are  con- 
cealed from  view.  The  eggs  range  from  six  to  ten  in  number,  greenish 
drab,  and  measure  2.97  by  2.01. 

160.    Somateria  dresseri     Sharpe.     [627a.] 

American  Eider. 

Hab.    Atlantic  coast  of  North  America,  from  M>ine  to  Labrador;  south  in  winter  to  the  Delaware. 

The  American  Eider  breeds  along  the  Atlantic  coast  of  North 
America  from  Maine  to  Northern  Labrador.  On  Grand  Manan  and 
some  of  the  smaller  islands  in  that  vicinity  this  duck  formerly  nested 
in  great  numbers,  but  from  constant  persecution  its  numbers  have 
been  greatly  diminished.  It  is  one  of  the  most  characteristic  summer 
ducks  of  Labrador  and  Newfoundland.  Mr.  Frazar  found  this  Eider 
breeding  commonly  on  small  islands  on  the  coast  of  Labrador,  making 
the  nest  in  the  short,  soft  grass.  The  favorite  nesting  place  was  at 
the  foot  of  some  large  rock,  or  in  the  nooks  between  rocks,  where  the 
birds  found  shelter  from  the  wind.  They  were  always  made  of  the 
slate-colored  down  from  the  breasts  of  the  birds.  Most  of  the  nests 
contained  four  or  five  eggs ;  a  large  number  six,  two  seven  and  one 

''According  to  Prof.  Ridgw.iy  the  American  bird  proves  not  to  be  the  true  S.  moUissima  of  Northern 
Europe,  but  a  fairly  ilistinguishable  race,  called  Greenl.ind  Eider,  5.  moUissima  lorcalis  Brehm,  inhabiting 
Northeastern  North  America,  including  Greenland,  etc.,  as  in  the  above  habitat.  For  description  of  this 
race  see  Manual  North  American  Birds,  p.  lOU. 


Bwl'SwMltBliKrfSSifflBRu 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


76 


eight.*    The  eggs  are  from  four  to  ten  in  number,  but  often  fewer ; 
they  are  plain  dull  greenish-drab:  measuring  about  3x2. 

161.    Somateria  v-nigra     Gray.    [628.] 

Paoiflo  Eider. 

Hab.    Coasts  of  the  North  Pacific;  in  the  interior  to  the  Great  Slave  L.-\ke,  and  Eastern  Siberia. 

The  Pac/'fic  Eider  is  common  in  suitable  places  on  both  coasts  and 
islands  of  Bering  Sea  and  the  polar  coasts  of  Siberia ;  replacing  the 
Common  Eider,  S.  molissima^  Spectacled  and  Steller's  Eiders.  Dr. 
Stejneger  says  it  is  now  rather  scarce  on  the  Commander  Islands. 
On  Copper  Island  it  breeds  only  in  a  few  places,  and  in  limited  num- 
bers. It  breeds  on  the  Aleutian  Islands,  the  Island  of  St.  Michael's, 
and  in  great  numbers  on  the  Arctic  coast,  near  the  mouth  of  the 
Anderson  River.  Its  nesting  habits  are  the  same  as  those  of  ^.  dres- 
seri^  and  the  eggs  measure  from  2.95  to  3.20  long  by  1.95  to  2.10  broad. 

162.    Somateria  spectabllis    (Linn.)    [629.] 

King  Eider. 

Hab.  Northern  part  of  Northern  Hemisphere,  breeding  in  the  Arctic  regions;  in  North  America 
south  casually  in  winter  to  New  Jersey  and  the  Great  Lakes. 

A  beautiful  Arctic  species,  very  closely  resembling  the  three  last. 
It  is  a  resident  of  Greenland,  and  is  found  on  the  Atlantic  coasts  of 
Europe  and  America,  and  on  the  Pacific  coasts  of  America  and  Asia. 
Abundant  in  various  places  along  the  shores  of  the  Arctic  Ocean, 
thence  southward  in  winter  on  the  Pacific  side  in  great  numbers  to  the 
Aleutian  Islands  and  beyond.  Rare  on  the  Alaskan  coast  of  Bering 
Sea.  The  nests  of  this  Eider,  found  in  the  islands  of  the  Arctic  seas, 
are  placed  in  depressions  of  the  ground,  and  composed  wholly  of 
down.  In  Greenland  the  King  Eider  breeds  in  the  latter  part  of  June 
or  in  the  first  part  of  July,  nesting  in  the  vicinity  of  ponds  and 
marshes.  Six  eggs  are  the  usual  number  laid,  but  as  many  as  ten  are 
said  to  be  deposited.  They  vary  from  light-olive  gray  to  grayish-green, 
and  measure  from  3.10  to  3.15  long  by  1.75  to  2.10  broad. 

163.    Oidemia  americana    Sw.  &  Rich.    [630.] 

Amerioan  Scoter. 

Hab.  Coasts  and  larger  lakes  cf  Northern  North  America;  breeds  in  Labrador  and  the  northern  inter- 
ior; south  in  winter  to  New  Jersey,  the  Great  l.\kcs  »nd  California. 

A  few  of  this  species  are  said  to  breed  in  Labrador  as  they  do  in 
the  neighborhood  of  marshes  and  ponds  in  the  interior,  northward.  In 
the  Hudson's  Bay  region  the  American  Scoter  nests  in  June  and  July. 
It  has  been  found  on  islands  along  the  coast  of  Alaska  and  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Yukon  in  June.     The  Scoter  nests  similar  to  the  Eider, 

♦See  Mr.  Fraiar's  article:    Ornithologist  aT>d  Oologist,  Vol.  XII.,  pp.  19-20. 


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NESTS  AND   EGGS   OF 


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on  the  ground,  near  water ;  the  material  used  being  coarse  grass,  feath- 
ers and  down.  The  nests  are  often  well  secreted  in  the  cliflfs  and  hol- 
lows about  steep  banks. 

This  Duck  is  called  Sea  Coot,  Butter-billed  and  Hollow-billed 
Coot.  The  plumage  of  the  adult  male  is  entirely  black,  and  the  top  of 
the  bill  orange ;  the  color  of  the  female  is  sooty-brown,  becoming  paler 
below.  It  is  much  smaller  than  the  male.  This  Duck,  like  many 
others  in  winter,  is  sometimes  found  in  great  numbers  along  the  entire 
Atlantic  coast.  Its  food  is  principally  small  bivalves,  which  it  secures 
by  diving. 

The  eggs  are  said  to  range  from  six  to  ten  in  number.  They  are 
of  a  pale  dull  buff,  jr  pale  brownish-buff,  and  measure  2.55  x  1.80. 

[164  ]    Oidemia  fusca    (Linn.)    [631.] 

Velvet  Sooter. 

Hab.  Northern  Old  World  :  accidental  in  Alaska  and  Greenland. 

This  fine  sea  duck  belongs  to  the  Old  World.  It  is  a  winter  visit- 
ant on  the  coasts  of  England ;  a  few  specimens  have  been  obtained  at 
different  times  in  the  London  markets.  It  is  recorded  as  having  been 
taken  as  far  south  as  Italy.  On  the  Orkney  and  Shetland  Islands  it  is 
said  to  be  common.  Found  in  Norway,  Sweden  and  Scandinavia. 
Said  to  be  abundant  everywhere  in  Lapland,  where  it  nests  on  hum- 
mocks, among  the  willow  swamps,  in  long  grass  near  water,  or  by  the 
edges  of  large  lakes  in  mountain  districts. 

The  eggs  are  of  a  pale  cream  color,  and  measure  2.87  x  1.92. 

165.    Oidemia  deglandl    Bonap.    [632.] 

'White-winded  Sooteri 

Hab.  Northern  North  America,  breeding  in  Labrador  and  the  Fur  Countries;  south  to  the  Middle 
States,  Southern  Illinois,  and  Southern  California. 

Like  the  Velvet  Scoter,  O.  fusca  of  the  Old  World,  the  American 
bird  is  eminently  a  sea-duck,  resorting,  however,  mainly  to  inland 
waters  during  the  breeding  season.  Its  summer  home  is  in  the  Arctic 
regions.  Found  along  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  coasts,  and  as  far  south 
as  the  Middle  States  in  the  spring,  fall  and  winter.  It  breeds  on  many 
of  the  lakes,  rivers  and  larger  bodies  of  water  in  Manitoba. 

The  "White-winged  Coot,"  "Sea  Coot,"  "Black  Surf  Duck,"  or 
Velvet  Duck,  as  it  is  variously  called,  has  been  found  breeding  quite 
abundantly  on  the  Lower  Anderson  river,  constructing  the  nest  on  the 
ground  near  fresh  water.  The  nests  contain  a  lining  of  down  and 
feathers.  Audubon  found  it  breeding  in  Labrador  from  the  ist  to  the 
loth  of  June.  The  nests  were  built  by  the  side  of  small  lakes,  two  or 
three  miles  distant  from  the  sea,  and  usually  placed  under  low  bushes ; 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


77 


they  were  formed  of  twigs,  mo,sses  aud  various  plants  matted  together. 
The  nests  were  large  and  almost  flat,  several  inches  thick,  lined  with 
some  feathers  of  the  female,  but  without  down. 

The  eggs  are  usually  six  in  number,  measuring  2.68  x  1.83.  They 
are  of  a  pale  buff,  varying  to  green. 

166.     Oidemia  perspicillata    (Linn.)    [633.]  7 

Surf  Scoter. 

Hab.  Coasts  and  larger  inland  waters  of  Northern  North  America;  south  to  the  Carolinas,  the  Ohio 
river  and  Lower  Cnlifr>rnia. 

The  Surf  Duck  and  the  three  preceding  species  are  called  Coots  by 
the  gunners ;  their  habits,  appearance  and  general  characteristics  being 
similar.  It  is  peculiarly  an  American  species,  and  is  only  an  occasion- 
al or  accidental  visitor  in  Europe.  The  plumage  of  the  male  of  this 
species  is  glossy  black,  no  white  on  the  wings,  but  a  triangular  white 
patch  on  the  forehead  pointing  forward.  The  female  is  a  sooty-brown, 
below  silvery-gray;  side  of  the  head  much  whitish.  It  breeds  in  the 
far  north  along  the  coast  and  in  the  interior  of  the  fur  countries. 
Audubon  found  this  species  to  be  the  least  numerous  of  the  ducks  in- 
habiting Labrador.  He  discovered  a  nest  in  a  fresh-water  marsh 
placed  among  the  tall  grass  and  weeds.  It  was  entirely  made  of 
withered,  rotten  weeds,  lined  with  the  down  of  the  bird.  The  nest 
contained  five  eggs;  they  were  pale  yellowish  or  cream  color,  and 
measured  2.31  by  1.63.  The  general  average  is  2.47  x  1.70;  pale  buff 
to  creamy-bufiF. 

167.    Erismatura  rublda    (VVils.)    [634.] 

Ruddy  Duck. 

Hab.     North  America  in  general,  south  to  Cuba,  Guatemala,  and  Northern  South  America. 

The  Ruddy  Duck  is  an  American  species,  and  is  found  breeding 
throughout  most  of  its  range,  but  more  especially  from  the  northern 
borders  of  the  United  States  northward.  In  spring  and  fall  it  is  an 
abundant  duck  on  the  large  bodies  of  water,  as  well  as  rivers,  small 
streams,  and  ponds.  It  is  exceedingly  difficult  to  kill,  being  very 
tenacious  of  life,  and,  when  wounded,  dives  with  the  greatest  of  ease, 
remaining  under  the  water  for  a  long  time  —  in  fact,  no  duck  excels 
thib  one  in  diving.  Mr.  Shields  writes  that  the  Ruddy  Duck  breeds 
quite  commonly  in  the  vicinity  of  Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  depositing  from 
five  to  eleven  eggs  about  the  last  of  May,  and  fresh  eggs  may  be  taken 
as  late  as  June  25.  He  says  there  is  positive  proof  that  this  duck 
prefers  the  abandoned  nests  of  Coots  for  nesting  purposes  to  those 
constructed  by  itself,  and  cites  several  instances  in  which  he  took 
eggs  of  this  species  from  what  appeared   to  be  Coots'  nests  recon- 


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NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


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structed.  Seven  Ruddy  Ducks'  eggs  were  found  in  a  Coot's  nest,  from 
which,  a  few  weeks  previous,  a  set  of  the  Coot's  eggs  were  obtained. 
The  locality  usually  selected  for  a  breeding  place  is  some  deep,  slug- 
gish stream,  lake  or  pond,  and  the  nests  are  always  built  close  to  the 
water's  edge  ;  they  are  composed  of  reeds,  dry  rushes  and  grass.  The 
structure  is  often  made  so  that  it  will  float,  similar  to  a  grebe's  nest. 
The  male  is  a  handsome  bird ;  its  general  color  is  glossy  chestnut, 
and  the  lower  parts  silvery  white  ;  the  chin  and  sides  of  the  head  are 
dead  white,  the  crown  and  nape  glossy  black.  The  female  is  brown 
above,  finely  dotted,  and  waved  with  dusky;  below  paler  and  duller. 
From  its  peculiar  stiff"  tail  feathers,  I  have  often  heard  hunters  call  it 
the  "  Sprig-tail,"  a  name,  however,  applied  to  the  Pin-tail  Duck.  It 
is  also  called  Dipper  Duck.  The  eggs  are  grayish-white,  ovoid  or  oval 
in  shape,  with  a  finely  granulated  surface ;  sizes  .  ange  from  2.35  to 
2.50  long  by  1.70  to  1.80  broad.  They  appear  large  for  the  size  of  the 
bird. 

169.    Chen  hyperborea    (Pall.)    [sgia.] 

Iiesser   Snoir    Oooae. 

Hab.  Pacific  coast  to  the  Mississippi  Valley,  breeding  in  Alaska;  south  in  winter  to  Soithern  Illinois 
and  Southern  California. 

There  are  several  forms  of  the  Snow  Goose  which  exist  in  North 
America ;  two  are  designated  by  their  respective  sizes,  namely,  Lesser 
and  Greater,  The  Lesser  species  breeds  in  Alaska,  and  occurs  through- 
out the  northwestern  portions  of  the  continent,  and  in  winter  migrates 
over  the  whole  of  the  country,  from  the  Pacific  coast  to  the  Mississippi 
Valley.  The  Greater  Snow  Goose,  Chen  hyPerborea  nivalis  (Forst.), 
according  to  Prof.  Ridgway,  occurs  in  Eastern  North  America;  its 
breeding  grounds  are  unknown,  but  they  are  probably  in  the  Arctic 
regions  east  of  the  Mackenzie  river.  In  winter  it  is  found  in  the 
United  States  from  the  Mississippi  Valley  to  the  Atlantic  coast.* 

Ross's  Snow  Goose,  C.  rossii  (Baird),  is  found  in  summer  in  the 
interior  of  Arctic  America,  migrating  south  in  winter  to  Southern  Cali- 
fornia and  eastward  to  Montana. 

The  Blue  Snow  Goose,  C.  ccsrulescens  (Linn.),t  inhabits  the  interior 
of  North  America,  east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  breeding  on  the  east- 
ern shores  of  Hudson's  Bay,  migrating  south  in  winter  through  the 
Mississippi  Valley  to  the  Gulf  coast,  and  is  found  occasionally  on  the 
Atlantic  coast. 

There  seems  to  be  very  little  known  regarding  the  nidification  of 
the  Snow  Goose.  ^ 

♦Manual  of  N.  A.  Birds,  p.  115. 

fThis  bird  is  placed  in  the  "Hypothetical  List"  of  the  A.  O.  U.  Check  List.  Prof.  Ridgway  states 
that  it  is  beyond  question  a  good  species.     See  Manual  of  N.  A.  Birds,  p.  115. 


u- 


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NORTH   AMHRICAN    BIRDS. 


79 


So  far  as  I  can  glean,  the  breeding  habits  are  the  same  as  those  of 
the  Canada  Goose,  nesting  by  the  side  of  rivers,  lakes  and  in  marshes. 

The  eggs  of  the  Lesser  Snow  Goose  are  from  five  to  eight  in  num- 
ber; their  color  is  yellowish-white,  and  measure  about  3.13x2.12. 

[171.]    Ap?er  albifrons    (Gm.)    [593.] 

Whlte-^onted  Oooa«> 

Hab.   Northern  parts  of  Eastern  Heniispliere  .uul  UreenUnd. 

The  White-fronted  Goose  of  the  Old  World,  which  very  closely 
resembles  the  American  species,  is  distributed  in  its  migrations  through- 
out various  sections  of  Europe,  but  is  more  abundant  in  the  eastern 
than  in  the  western  portions.  Said  to  extend  its  migrations  into  Cen- 
tral Africa,  almost  to  the  Equator.  It  breeds  near  the  coast-line  of  the 
Arctic  Ocean  in  Europe  and  Asia,  and  also  on  the  lakes,  larger  rivers, 
bays  and  inlets.  There  is  no  difference  between  the  general  habits  of 
this  species  and  those  of  the  American  bird.  It  nests  on  the  ground,  in 
the  immediate  vicinity  of  water,  making  a  large  structure  of  sticks 
and  hay  which  is  lined  with  down. 

The  eggs  are  from  four  to  six  in  number,  yellowish-white  in  color, 
and  measure  about  3.10x2.05. 

171a.    Anser  albifrons  Rambeli    (Hartl.)    [593(7.] 

American  White-fronted   Goose. 

Hab.  North  America,  breeding  far  northward ;  in  winter,  south  to  Mexico  and  Cuba. 

Often  called  "Laughing  Goose."  It  is  of  large  size  and  robust 
form,  may  be  known  by  its  white  forehead  and  spotted  breast.  A  very 
handsome  bird  and  a  favorite  with  sportsmen.  Large  numbers  are 
often  killed  on  the  lakes  and  reservoirs  in  spring  and  fall. 

The  White-fronted  Goose  is  common  throughout  the  whole  of 
North  America,  but  is  more  abundant  on  the  Pacific  coast  than  in  the 
interior  or  along  the  Atlantic.  It  flies  in  V-shaped  flocks,  frequently 
uttering  a  loud,  harsh  cry,  which  may  be  heard  at  a  considerable  dist- 
ance. This  species  breeds  in  high  latitudes  and  is  particularly  abund- 
ant in  Alaska,  nesting  in  large  numbers  along  the  Yukon  river,  laying 
its  eggs  in  depressions  in  the  sand.  Said  to  breed  also  on  Stuart's 
Island  and  other  islands  along  the  coast.  Its  favorite  resorts  are  in  the 
vicinity  of  fresh-water  lakes.  Along  the  Lower  Anderson  river,  on  the 
Arctic  coast  and  on  the  islands  of  the  Arctic  Sea  this  species  breeds  in 
abundance  in  June  and  July.  The  nests  are  made  in  a  depression  of 
the  ground,  and  made  of  hay,  feathers  and  down.  Dr.  Brewer  states 
that  nests  found  by  Mr.  MacFarlane  were  generally  found  ':-.  wooded 
districts.  .  " 

The  eggs  are  six  or  seven  in  number,  and  measure  from  2.90  to 


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NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


3.30  long  by  2.05  to  2.10  broad.    They  are  elliptical  in  shape,  dull 
greenish-yellow  with  obscure  darker  tints. 

172.    Branta  canidensls    (Linn.)    [594.] 

Canada  Gooae. 

Hab.  Temperate  North  America,  breeding  in  the  Northern  (Jnited  States  and  British  Provinces; 
snuth  in  winter  to  Mexico. 

The  Common  Wild  Goose  of  North  America,  in  its  various  forms 
and  great  extremes  of  size,  is  generally  distributed  throughout  the 
continent  at  large,  B.  canidensis  proper,  breeding,  as  indicated  in 
the  above  habitat.*  It  is  the  most  abundant  of  our  geese  Large 
numbers  may  be  seen  during  the  spring  and  fall  migrations  flying 
overhead  in  wedge-shaped  flocks,  with  an  old  gander  always  in  the  lead 
at  the  apex  of  the  triangle,  frequently  uttering  the  sonorous  konk^ 
hottky  which  is  often  heard  at  a  great  height.  In  many  places  they 
breed  in  captivity  with  the  common  domestic  goose,  producing  a 
hybrid  bird  much  esteemed  for  the  table.  It  has  been  learned  from 
birds  in  confinement  that  none  of  them  lay  until  three  years  old ; 
the  first  season  four  eggs  are  laid,  five  the  second  season,  and  when 
older  six  and  seven. f 

Dr.  Coues  alludes  to  the  breeding  of  the  Canada  Goose  in  trees  in 
various  parts  of  the  Upper  Missouri  and  Yellowstone  regions.!  Breed- 
ing grounds,  inundated  along  the  banks  of  streams,  have  at  times 
caused  the  birds  to  resort  to  trees  for  the  purpose  of  nesting,  some 
making  use  of  Herons'  and  Ravens'  ncsts.§  Nests  of  the  Canada 
Goose  in  Dakota  are  usually  situated  far  away  from  water  on  the 
prairies. 

Dr.  Merrill  found  this  species  breeding  on  the  Upper  Missouri, 
Yellowstone,  and  Big  Horn  Rivers,  where  their  favorite  nesting  sites 
were  on  the  numerous  low  sandy  islands  in  these  rivers,  covered  in 
the  higher  parts  with  a  growth  of  young  willows.  Their  nests  were 
simply  a  hollow  in  the  sand,  around  which  was  placed  a  few  sticks  and 
twigs,  and  the  eggs  lay  on  a  layer  of  gray  down.  Nests  were  found 
on  the  tops  of  broken  trunks  of  trees ;  one  on  a  rocky  ledge  three 
hundred  yards  from  the  river ;  another  was  made  on  a  pile  of  brush 
that  had  collected  in  the  top  of  a  fallen  tree  that  had  floated  down  and 
lodged  near  the  middle  of  the  river ;  some  nests  were  placed  on  the 
high  banks  among  high  grass,  or  on  piles  of  drift-wood.  By  the  first 
of  May  the  nests  contained  the  full  complement  of  eggs,  generally  five 

■*  The  form  Branta  canieUnsit  occidentalit  (  Baird )  occurs  in  Pacific  coast  region,  from  Sitka  south,  in 
winter  to  California.     I(  is  larger  and  the  coloration  darker, 
t  Wm.  Dutcher,  in  The  Auk.    Vol.  II.,  p.  111. 
X  Birds  of  the  Northwest.    Pp.  554-565. 
I  Capt.  Chas.  E.  Bendire :   Bull.  Nutt.  Club.    Vol.  I.,  p.  60. 


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NORTH  AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


81 


in  number.  Dr.  Merrill  says :  "  When  these  geese  nest  among  the 
branches  of  a  tree  I  do  not  think  they  ever  construct  the  nest  entirely 
themselves,  but  take  possession  of  a  deserted  nest  of  the  Fish  Hawk, 
and  repair  it  with  twigs  and  a  lining  of  down.  They  have  been  seen 
to  carry  small  sticks  to  the  nest  for  this  purpose."  *  The  color  of  the 
eggs  is  a  pale  dull  greenish,  and  their  size  is  about  3.50 x  2.50. 

172a.    Branta  canadensia  hutchinsii    (Sw.  &  Rich.).    [594a.] 

Hntohiiu's  Ooose. 

Hab.  North  America,  breeding  in  the  Arctic  regions,  migrating  south  in  winter,  chiefly  through 
the  Western  United  States  and  Mississippi  Valley;  Eastern  Asia. 

This  bird,  which  is  like  canadensis  in  color,  but  of  smaller  size, 
breeds  in  boreal  regions.  Its  general  habits  are  the  same  as  those  of 
the  common  Canada  Goose.  Breeds  abundantly  along  the  Yukon 
River  and  on  the  islands  on  the  coast  of  Alaska.  Nests  have  been 
found  on  the  Islands  of  the  Anderson  River  and  on  the  Arctic  coast. 
In  these  regions  eggs  of  this  species  have  been  taken  from  Hawks' 
and  Crows'  nests  built  in  trees.  It  nests  usually  on  sand-beaches, 
depositing  from  four  to  six  eggs  in  hollows  in  which  there  are  more 
or  less  leaves,  grasses,  feathers  and  down. 

The  eggs  are  white,  and  measure  3.18x2.10.  In  the  Arctic  re- 
gions the  eggs  are  laid  in  June  and  July. 

172r.    Branta  canadensis  minima    Ridgw.    [594<^.] 

Caokliim  Ooose. 

Hab.    Coast  of  Alaska,  migtating  southward  into  Western  United  States  east  to  Wisconsin. 

A  smaller  bird  than  Hutchins's  Goose.  It  is  abundant  in  North- 
ern Alaska,  where  it  breeds,  chiefly,  however,  about  the  shores  of  Nor- 
ton Sound  and  along  the  I^ower  Yukon,  nesting  like  the  foregoing. 

Its  eggs  measure  3.02  x  2.00. 


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173.    Branta  bernicla    (Linn.)    [595.] 

Brant. 

Hab.  Northern  portions  of  the  Northern  Hemisphere;  in  North  America  chiefly  on  the  Atlantic 
coast,  rare  in  the  interior  or  away  from  salt  water. 

The  Brant  Goose  is  almost  cosmopolitan  in  its  distribution.  It  is 
found  on  the  sea  coasts  of  Europe  and  eastern  North  America,  breed- 
ing only  within  the  Arctic  circle.  While  being  more  maritime  than 
United  States  geese  generally  are,  it  is  also  found  inland  occasionally 
on  lakes  and  rivers.  During  the  migrations  it  is  abundant,  and  seems 
to  prefer  the  coast  to  the  interior,  seldom  passing  over  large  tracts  of 
land,  following  the  windings  of  the  shore,  and  nearly  always  keeping 

•  Bull.  Nutt.  Club.    Vol.  VIII    pp.  124-125. 


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NESTS  AND  EGGS  OP 


over  water.  The  Brant  is  a  particular  favorite  with  sportsmen,  and 
many  are  shot  from  points  of  land  which  project  out  into  the  sea. 

The  common  Brant  Goose  is  said  to  breed  in  immense  numbers  in 
Spitzbergen  and  on  the  islands  about  the  coast.  The  nest  is  con- 
structed on  the  sandy  beaches,  of  feathers  and  down,  the  birds  deposit- 
ing from  four  to  six  eggs.  In  Greenland  where  this  species  breeds, 
some  of  the  birds  make  their  nests  on  cliflfs. 

The  eggs  are  grayish  or  dirty-white,  and  measure  2.92x2.02. 

174.    Branta  nigricans    (Lawr.)    [596.] 

Black    Brant. 

Hab.    Arctic  and  Western  North  America;  rare  in  the  Atlantic  Statei. 

The  Black  Brant  is  very  closely  allied  to  the  common  Brant 
Goose;  it  is  found  on  the  Pacific  coast,  where  the  latter  does  not 
occur.  Its  summer  home  is  in  high  latitudes,  and  in  Alaska,  the 
mouth  of  the  Yukon,  is  said  probably  to  form  the  extreme  southern 
limit  of  this  bird's  occurrence  in  the  breeding  season.  Breeds  in 
abundance  on  islands  northeast  of  the  mouth  of  Anderson  River,  in 
Liverpool  Bay  on  the  Arctic  coast,  on  the  shores  of  Franklin  Bay,  and 
on  various  other  parts  of  the  coast,  especially  in  regions  west  of 
Anderson  River.  In  these  regions,  according  to  Dr.  Brewer,  nests  were 
found  by  Mr.  MacFarlane  on  small  islets  in  fresh  water  ponds ;  others 
on  islands  in  the  Anderson  neai  its  mouth ;  many  were  made  on  the 
shore  or  on  islands  in  Franklin  Bay,  and  in  various  parts  of  the  Arctic 
Sea.  Some  of  the  uests  were  nothing  but  mere  depressions  lined  with 
down,  while  in  others  the  quantity  of  down  was  quite  large.  The 
number  of  eggs  in  a  nest  was  generally  five ;  but  in  one  case  as  many 
as  seven  were  seen,  and  in  six  or  seven  instances  six. 

The  eggs  are  grayish-white,  and  range  from  2.75  to  2.90  long  by 
1.80  to  1.85  broad. 

[175.]    Branta  leucopsis    (Bechst.)    [597.] 

Barnacle    Goose. 

Hab.    Northern  parts  of  the  OH  World;  casual  in  Eastern  North  America. 

The  Barnacle  Goose  inhabits  the  northern  pc  tions  of  Europe  and 
is  occasionally  found  on  the  Atlantic  coast  of  North  America.  But 
many  of  the  specimens  taken  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic  are  birds 
that  are  supposed  to  have  escaped  from  confinement. 

In  great  Britain  it  is  a  winter  visitant.  During  the  migrations  it 
is  said  to  be  found  in  great  numbers  along  the  coast  of  Norway,  and  at 
these  seasons  it  is  stated  to  be  abundant  in  Holland,  France  and  Ger- 
many.    It  is  said  to  occur  during  the  breeding  season  in  Northern 


fi' 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


83 


by 


and 

But 

lirds 


Siberia.    The  shores  of  the  White  Sea  to  the  eastward,  are  supposed 
to  be  the  great  breeding  places  of  this  bird.* 

The  eggs  are  grayish-white  and  measure  3.71  x  2.38. 

176.    Phllacte  canagica    (Sevast.)    [598.] 

Emperor  Ooos*. 

Hab.    Coast  and  islands  of  Alaska. 

A  notable  species  known  also  as  the  Painted  Goose  from  its  varie- 
gated plumage.  It  inhabits  the  coast  of  Alaska,  north  of  the  peninsula, 
chiefly  about  the  shores  of  Norton  Sound,  and  is  abundant  about  the 
mouth  of  the  Yukon.  The  color  of  the  plumage  is  a  bluish-gray, 
with  lavender  shading  and  positive  black  crescent-shaped  marks.  The 
head  is  white,  often  with  a  yellowish  tinge ;  the  throat  black,  speckled 
with  white,  and  the  tail  is  also  white ;  the  feet  are  flesh-color.  It  breeds 
north  as  far  as  Bering  Strait. 

Dr.  Coues  says  the  eggs  of  this  species  are  about  five  in  number ; 
size,  3.35x2.00;  white,  with  fine,  pale-brown  dotting,  giving  a  general 
pale,  dirty-brown  color. 

177.    Dendrocygna  antunmalis    (Linn.)    [599.] 


Hab. 


Blaok-bellled  Tree-dnok. 

Southwestern  border  of  the  United  States  and  southward. 


The  Autumnal  Tree-duck  is  a  species  of  variegated  plumage  and 
long  legs.  It  inhabits  the  southwestern  border  of  the  United  States 
and  southward  to  Mexico,  West  Indies,  Central  and  South  America. 
It  is  commonly  called  "Long-legged  Tree-duck."  Along  the  Rio 
Grande  in  Mexico  and  Texas  it  is  abundant  from  April  to  October  and 
later.  Dr.  Merrill  found  it  common  in  Southern  Texas.  He  says: 
"  This  large  and  handsome  bird  arrives  from  the  South  in  April,  and  is 
soon  found  in  abundance  on  the  river  banks  and  lagoons.  Migrating 
at  night  it  continually  utters  a  peculiar  chatteriug  whistle,  which  at 
once  indicates  its  presence.  Called  by  the  Mexicans  patos  maizal,  or 
Corn-field  Duck,  from  its  habit  of  frequenting  those  localities.  It  is  by 
no  means  shy,  and  large  numbers  are  offered  for  sale  in  the  Brownsville 
market.  Easily  domesticated,  it  becomes  very  tame,  roosting  at  night 
in  trees  with  chickens  and  turkeys.  When  the  females  begin  to  lay, 
the  males  leave  them  and  gather  in  large  flocks  on  sand-bars  in  the 
river.  My  knowledge  of  the  breeding  habits  is  derived  from  Dr.  S.  M. 
Finley,  U.  S.  A.,  who  had  ample  opportunity  of  observing  these  birds 
at  Hidalgo.  The  eggs  are  deposited  in  hollow  trees  and  branches, 
often  at  a  considerable  distance  from  water  (two  miles),  and  from  eight 
to  thirty  feet  or  more  from  the  ground.  The  eggs  are  placed  on  the 
bare  wood,  and  are  from  twelve  to  sixteen  in  number.    Two  broods 

*Yarrell,  HI,  p.  74. 


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NESTS   AND   EGGS  OK 


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are  raised,  and  the  parent  carries  the  young  to  the  water  in  her  bill. 
Twelve  eggs  received  from  Dr.  Finley  average  2.11x1.53,  with  but  lit- 
tle variation  in  size ;  they  are  of  the  usual  duck  shape,  and  in  color  are 
a  rather  clear  yellowish-white.  The  birds  leave  in  September,  but  a 
few  late  broods  are  seen  as  late  as  November.  The  soft  parts  in  a  full 
plumaged  living  male  were  as  follows:  iris,  brown;  bill,  coral-red, 
orange  above;  nail  of  bill,  bluish;  legs  and  feet,  pinkish-wiiite."* 

178.    Dendrocygna  fulva    (Gmel.)    [600.] 

Fnlvona  Tree>dnok. 

Hab.    Southern  border  of  the  United  States:  Louisiana,  Texas,  Nevada,  CaliTornia,  southward. 

Resembles  the  last  in  its  general  appearance,  habits,  etc.  Its 
geographical  range  is  chiefly  within  the  tropics,  extending  as  far 
South  as  the  Argentine  Republic.  Dr.  Merrell  states  that  this  species 
is  about  as  common  as  the  Corn-field  duck  in  Southern  Texas,  both 
species  frequenting  the  same  places.  He  learned  nothing  definite  in 
regard  to  its  breeding  habits,  but  they  probably  do  not  differ  much  from 
those  of  the  other  bird.  The  Fulvous  Tree-duck  is  said  to  lay  from 
ten  to  fifteen  pure  white  eggs. 

[179.]    Olorcygnus    (Linn.)    [586.] 

'Whooping  Suran. 

Hab.     Europe  and  Asia;  Greenland. 

In  Europe  this  bird  is  called  "  Hooper,"  "  Elk,"  and  "Whistling 
Swan."  It  is  a  winter  visitant  to  the  more  southern  portions  of  Great 
Britain,  and  is  found  throughout  the  year  in  the  Orkneys  and  other 
islands  north  of  Scotland.  Known  to  visit  Holland,  France,  Spain, 
and  Italy,  and  a  few  are  said  to  penetrate  as  far  south  as  Barbary  an'^ 
even  Egypt.  It  is  of  occasional  occurrence  in  Southern  Greenland. 
Breeds  in  the  secluded  swamps  and  lakes  up  in  Lapland,  nesting  on 
the  ground  in  marshy  places.  It  also  breeds  in  Iceland.  The  nest  is 
large  and  composed  of  rushes,  coarse  grass,  and  almost  any  material 
near  at  hand. 

As  many  as  seven  eggs  are  laid  by  this  species ;  they  are  of  a  dull 
brownish  white,  or  dark  ivory  color,  and  measure  4.28x2.88. 


Hab. 


180.    Olor  columbianus    (Ord.) 

WlilatliiiK  Swan. 

Eutire  of  North  America,  breeding  far  north. 


[588.] 


The  common  American  Whistling  Swan  is  the  smaller  of  the 
North  American  species,  measuring  under  five  feet  in  length.  There 
is  a  small  yellow  spot  on  the  bill  in  front  of  the  eyes,  and  it  is  some- 
times wanting.  The  tail  feathers  are  normally  twenty.  This  bird  is 
found  in  the  United  States  in  winter,  and  during  the  migrations. 

*Notes  on  the  Ornithology  of  Southern  Texas:    Proceedings  U.  S.  National  Museum,  Vol.  I.,  page  169. 


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NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


85 


The  Whistling  Swan  breeds  in  the  Arctic  regions  on  the  small 
lakes  of  the  coast  and  islands  of  the  Arctic  Sea,  nesting  in  June  and 
July.  A  few  are  said  to  breed  in  the  interior  of  the  Fur  Countries.  All 
along  the  Yukon  River,  and  especially  near  its  mouth  this  species  is 
said  to  breed  in  the  large  marshes.  Here  the  eggs  are  usually  laid  on 
a  tussock  entirely  surrounded  by  water,  and  so  near  it  that  the  female 
sometimes  sits  with  her  feet  in  the  water. 

On  the  islands  of  Franklin  Bay  and  on  those  of  the  Arctic  Ocean, 
the  Whistling  Swan  constructs  a  large  nest  of  moss,  grass  and  herbage 
of  various  kinds. 

The  eggs  are  from  two  to  five  in  number,  and  measure  from  2.25 
to  2.50  in  breadth  by  4.00  to  4.50  in  length.  They  are  of  a  dull  white 
with  more  or  less  brownish  or  reddish  discoloration ;  the  surface  of  the 
shell  is  rough. 

181.    Olor  buccinator    (Rich.)    [589.] 

Trnmpeter  Siraii. 

Hab.  Chiefly  the  interior  of  North  America,  from  the  Gulf  Coast  to  the  Fur  Countries,  breeding  from 
Iowa  and  Dakota  northward;  west  to  the  Pacific  coast,  but  rare  or  casual  on  the  Atlantic. 

During  the  breeding  season  the  Trumpeter  Swan  is  found  almost 
exclusively  in  the  interior  of  the  northern  regions.  A  few  breed  in 
Central  and  Northern  Iowa  and  in  Dakota;  from  thence  northward. 
Dr.  Brewer  states  that  the  nests  found  by  Mr.  MacFarlane  on  the  barrens 
of  the  Arctic  coast  were  usually  placed  on  elevated  ground,  and  they 
were  composed  of  hay,  down  and  feathers  intermingled.  One  nest  con- 
taining six  eggs,  was  found  near  the  beach  on  rising  ground ;  others 
were  observed  near  the  banks  of  the  Lower  Anderson  River. 

On  the  islands  in  the  fresh  water  lakes  and  ponds  bordering  the 
north  branch  of  the  Saskatchewan  River,  in  British  America,  a  few 
pairs  of  the  Trumpeter  Swan  are  to  be  seen  throughout  the  summer. 
This  species  is  also  known  to  breed  in  Alaska. 

The  full  grown  bird  is  five  feet  or  more  in  length,  and  may  be 
distinguished  from  the  Whistling  Swan  by  its  entirely  black  bill  and 
having  normally  twenty-four  tail-feathers. 

The  eggs  range  from  two  to  six  in  nunxber ;  chalky -white  with  a 
rough  surface ;  sizes  from  4.03  to  4.50  long  by  2.50  to  2.76  broad. 

182.    PhoBiiicopteriis  ruber    Linn.     [585.] 

Amerloan   Flamingo. 

Hab.    Atlantic  coasts  of  subtropical  and  tropical  America;  Florida  Keys. 

This  magnificent  bird  of  scarlet  plumage  is  a  constant  resident  of 
Cuba,  the  Bahamas  and  southward;  rare  at  Cape  Sable  and  on  the 
Florida  Keys.     It  is  a  remarkable  bird  and  of  striking  appearance, 


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NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


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having  long  legs  and  neck,  the  former  of  a  lake-red  color.  The  bill  is 
unique  in  shape,  being  abruptly  bent  in  the  middle,  so  that  when 
feeding  the  upper  surface  faces  the  ground.  The  plumage  is  scarlet 
throughout,  except  the  primaries  and  secondaries,  which  are  black. 
The  stature  of  the  bird  is  nearly  five  feet,  and  it  weighs  in  the  flesh  six 
or  eight  pounds.  The  nest  of  the  Flamingo  is  described  as  a  mass  of 
earth,  sticks  and  other  material  scooped  up  from  the  immediate  vicinity 
to  the  height  of  several  feet  and  hollow  at  the  top.  On  this  the  birds 
sit  with  their  legs  doubled  under  them.  The  old  story  of  the  Flamingo 
bestriding  its  nest  in  an  ungainly  attitude  while  incubating  is  an 
absurd  fiction.  The  eggs  are  one  or  two  in  number,  elongate-ovate  in 
shape,  with  a  thick  shell,  roughened,  with  a  white  flakey  substance, 
but  bluish  when  this  is  scraped  off.  It  requires  thirty-two  days  for  the 
eggs  to  hatch.     Size  3.57x2.20,  with  considerable  variation. 

183.    Ajaja  ajaja    (Linn.)    [505.] 

Roseate   Spoonbill. 

Hab.     Southern  United  States  and  southward  into  Southern  South  America. 

The  Rosy  Spoonbill,  of  so  handsome  plumage  and  singular  form, 
is  distributed  throughout  South  and  Central  America,  Mexico,  and  in 
all  favorable  localities  of  the  Gulf  region  of  the  United  States.  In 
Florida  it  was  formerly  abundant,  but  its  numbers  have  greatly  dimin- 
ished by  the  constant  persecution  of  the  '  plume  hunters.'  Rare  as  far 
north  as  the  Carolinas.  Marshy  or  muddy  borders  of  estuaries,  the 
mouths  of  rivers,  shrubby  islands  of  tropic?^  seas,  or  some  dense  marsh, 
are  the  favorite  breeding  resorts. 

Mr.  R.  E.  Rachford  visited  a  small  colony  of  these  birds  in  South- 
western Louisiana,  June  2,  1886.  The  birds  were  found  nesting  in  a 
clump  of  cypress  trees  in  a  low  marshy  place  fully  twenty  miles  from 
habitation.  Here  also  nested  the  Snowy,  Louisiana  and  Little  Blue 
Herons,  and  the  Snake  Bird. 

The  nests  of  the  Spoonbills  were  placed  from  eight  to  eighteen 
feet  from  the  ground,  and  the  usual  number  of  eggs  found  in  the  nests 
was  three  or  four ;  although  from  one  nest  seven  eggs  were  taken,  and 
five  or  six  from  several  others.  The  nests  were  platforms  of  sticks, 
and  for  the  most  part  were  built  close  to  the  trunks  of  the  trees ;  they 
were  usually  more  massive  than  the  Herons'  nests. 

The  general  shape  of  the  eggs  is  ovate ;  and  their  color  is  white, 
or  bufiy-white,  blotched,  spotted  and  stained  with  various  shades  of 
brown ;  sometimes  a  pure  white  egg  is  found  in  a  nest  with  spotted  or 
marked  examples.  Mr.  Norris  has  a  beautifully  marked  set  of  three 
eggs  collected  by  Mr.  Rachford,  which,  if  it  were  not  for  their  elon- 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


87 


gated  shape,  could  be  readily  mistaken  for  handsomely  marked  speci- 
mens of  eggs  of  the  Red -shouldered  Hawk,  Biiteo  linecitus.  The 
average  size  of  the  egg  is  2.57x1.73. 

184.     Quara  alba    (Linn.)    [501.] 
"Whit*  Ibis. 

Hab.  South  Atlantic  and  Gulf  States  southward  to  the  West  Indict  and  Northern  South  America; 
casually  on  the  Atlantic  Coast  to  Long  Island;    in  the  interior  to  the  Lower  Ohio  Valley  and  Great  Salt  Lake. 

The  White  Ibis  or  Spani.^u  Curlew  is  distributed  in  summer 
throughout  the  South  Atlantic  and  Gulf  States  from  the  Carolinas 
southward,  throughout  Mexico,  Central  America,  and  portions  of 
Northern  South  America.  It  breeds  in  communities  by  thousands 
in  the  tangled  marshes  of  the  southern  coast;  fastening  the  nest 
to  broken  down  or  upright  living  reeds;  it  is  composed  of  reeds, 
compactly  woven  together,  is  deep  and  much  hollowed,  which  is  unlike 
the  frail  platform  nests  of  the  herons. 

Mr.  Stuart  says  the  White  Ibis  breeds  abundantly  on  the  low  man- 
grove bushes  on  the  islands  of  the  Gulf  coast.  There  is  a  large  rook- 
ery in  Charlotte  Harbor.  The  nests  are  usually  made  of  the  green 
twigs  of  the  mangrove.  The  eggs  are  laid  in  June.  At  Cape  Sable 
eggs  are  deposited  after  the  loth  of  April ;  these  are  from  three  to  five 
in  number,  ashy-blue,  spotted  and  blotched  irregularly  with  yellowish, 
reddish  and  umber-brown  of  varying  shades ;  two  or  three  in  number, 
and  measure  about  2.25  by  1.50. 

185.    Guara  rubra    (Linn.)    [502. J 

Scarlet  Ibia. 

Hab.  Eastern  coasts  of  tropical  America,  north  casually  to  Florida,  Louisiana  and  Texas ;  southward 
to  the  West  Indies.  V 

An  exquisite  bird  of  the  richest  scarlet  plumage.  There  is  proba- 
bly no  well  authenticated  instance  of  its  having  been  taken  within  the 
United  States.  Wilson  was  not  correctly  informed  concerning  its 
abundance  in  the  Southern  States,  and  Audubon  only  saw  a  flock  of 
three  in  Louisiana.  The  bird  is  said  not  to  be  an  uncommon  visitant 
to  Jamaica  and  Cuba,  and  very  common  on  the  Island  of  Trinidad, 
where  it  formerly  nested.  Mr.  Warren  observed  the  Scarlet  Ibis  breed- 
ing in  immense  colonies  on  the  banks  of  the  Amazon,  in  dense,  im- 
penetrable thickets  of  bamboo  canes,  several  kinds  of  thorny  cactus 
and  Spanish  bayonets,  besides  numbers  of  small  mangroves  and  pal- 
mettoes,  all  interlaced  and  tangled  with  huge  vines.  In  one  place  ev- 
ery bush  and  tree  had  on  it  from  five  to  twenty  nests ;  they  were  about 
a  foot  and  a  half  in  diameter  and  perfectly  flat ;  the  materials  used  in 
their  construction  were  twigs,  fibrous  roots  and  leaves.     Mr.  Warren 


88 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


I'  'I.-'. 


iM 


states  that  the  ibises,  being  disturbed,  rose  in  immense  numbers,  and 
a  more  striking  spectacle  than  a  large  flock  of  these  splendid  birds 
floating  through  the  air,  like  a  crimson  cloud,  cannot  possibly  be  con- 
ceived.   The  rookeries  are  only  tenanted  during  the  dry  season. 

The  eggs  are  two  or  three  in  number,  grayish-  ite  in  color, 
marked  with  spots  and  blotches  of  brown  of  varying  shades,  and  dis- 
tributed variously  over  the  surface,  but  generally  more  profusely  at  the 
larger  end.     The  average  size  is  2. 15  x  1.46. 

186.    Plegadis  antnmnalis    (Hasselq.)    [503.] 
010M7  rbis. 

Hab.    Old  World,  Weit  Indiei,  and  Eaatern  United  Statei. 

This  species  occurs  irregularly  in  the  eastern  portions  of  the 
United  States,  and  has  been  known  to  breed  in  Florida.  It  has  also 
been  found  breediug  in  Nevada.  In  Europe  the  course  of  its  migra- 
tions for  the  summer  is  said  to  be  chiefly  in  a  line  from  Egypt,  to 
Turkey,  Hungary  and  Poland,  and  to  the  southern  parts  of  Russia.  In 
its  passage  from  Africa  it  is  occasionally  seen  in  the  Grecian  Archi- 
pelago, in  Sicily,  Sardinia,  Genoa,  Switzerland,  France,  Holland  and 
Great  Britain. 

The  nesting  of  the  Glossy  Ibis  is  like  that  of  the  next  species. 
The  eggs  are  of  a  deep  greenish-blue  and  average  2.01  x  1.47. 

187.    Plegadis  guarauna    (Linn.)    [504.] 

\l^ltlte-fkoed  Glowy  Ibia. 

Hab.  Weftern  United  States  (Texas,  Utah,  Nevada,  Oregon,  California,  etc.).  southward  to  Mexico, 
West  Indies,  Central  and  South  America. 

This  beautiful,  lustrous  Ibis  inhabits  southwestern  United  States 
and  south  into  tropical  America.  It  is  found  as  far  north  as  Kansas, 
west  through  New  Mexico  and  Arizona  to  California.  It  is  especially 
abundant  in  southern  Texas,  and  in  some  localities  along  the  banks  of 
the  Rio  Grande  swarms  by  thousands.  At  this  place  Dr.  James  C. 
Merrill,  in  company  with  Mr.  G.  B.  Sennett,  on  the  i6th  of  May,  1877, 
visited  a  large  patch  of  tule  reeds,  growing  in  a  shallow  lagoon  about 
ten  miles  from  Fort  Brown,  in  which  large  numbers  of  this  Ibis 
and  several  kinds  of  Herons  were  breeding.  The  reeds  covered  an 
area  of  perhaps  seventy-five  acres  or  less.  Besides  the  Ibises,  the 
Great  and  Little  White  Egrets,  Louisiana  and  Night  Herons,  and  sev- 
eral other  birds  were  breeding  here.  The  reeds  grew  about  six  feet 
above  the  surface  of  the  water,  and  were  either  beaten  down  to  form  a 
support  for  the  nests,  or  dead  and  partly  floating  stalks  of  the  previous 
year  were  used  for  that  purpose.     Dr.  Merrill  states  that  it  was  impos- 


NORTH  AMERICAN    BIRDS. 


89 


sible  to  estimate  the  number  of  the  Ibises  and  different  Herons  nest- 
ing here.  '*  Both  nests  and  eggs  of  the  Ibises  were  quite  unlike  those 
of  any  of  the  Herons,  and  could  be  distinguished  at  a  glance.  The 
nests  were  made  of  broken  bits  of  dead  tules,  supported  by  and  at- 
tached to  broken  and  upright  stalks  of  living  ones.  They  were  rather 
well  and  compactly  built,  and  were  usually  well  cupped,  quite  unlike 
the  clumsy  platforms  of  the  Herons.  The  eggs  were  nearly  always 
three  in  number,  and  at  this  date  were  far  advanced  in  incubation ; 
many  of  the  nests  contained  young  of  all  sizes.  Fifty  eggs  now 
before  me  average  1.95 x  1.35,  the  extremes  being  2.20X  1.49  and  1.73 x 
1.29 ;  they  are  decidedly  pointed  at  the  smaller  end,  and  are  of  a  deep 
bluish-green  color." 

188.    Tantalus  loculator    Linn.    [500.] 
Wood  nu. 

Hab.  Southern  United  States,  from  Ohio  Valley,  Colorado,  Utah,  California,  etc.,  lOUth  to  Bu«noi 
Ayrei:  casually  northward  to  Pennsylvania  and  New  York. 

The  American  Wood  Stork,  as  it  is  called,  is  distributed  over  a 
large  portion  of  South  and  Central  America,  Mexico  and  Southern 
North  America.  It  is  found  in  all  the  Gulf  States,  and  is  most  abund- 
ant in  Florida,  where,  Mr.  Stuart  informs  me,  it  nests  in  the  interior  in 
dense  cypress  swamps,  on  the  tallest  trees,  which  are  often  more  than 
one  hundred  feet  in  height.  In  these  rookeries  are  also  found  nesting 
the  American  Egret,  Ardea  egretta;  Great  Blue  Heron,  A.  herodias  ;  the 
Anhinga  and  others.  The  nests,  like  those  of  the  Herons,  are  plat- 
forms of  sticks  loosely  arranged,  with  a  lining  of  long  moss.  The 
same  rookery  is  occupied  each  year,  and  the  nests  are  repaired  and 
augmented  until  they  often  become  of  immense  size. 

The  eggs  are  chalky-white,  sometimes  spotted  with  pale  reddish- 
brown  ;  somewhat  elliptical.  The  shell  is  rough,  with  a  flaky  sub- 
stance. Two  or  three  is  the  number  laid,  but  almost  inviriably  three. 
Size  from  2.70  to  2.75  long  by  1.70  to  1.75  broad. 

189.    Mycterla  americana    Linn.    [499.] 

Jabim. 

Hab.    Tropical  America,  north  casually  to  Southern  Texas. 

This  singular  bird  is  known  as  the  American  Stork.  It  is  found 
in  portions  of  Central  America  and  throughout  most  of  South  Amer- 
ica. One  specimen  is  said  to  have  been  taken  within  the  limits  of  the 
United  States,  and  that  near  Galveston,  Texas.  The  bird  is  said  to 
have  the  same  general  habits  peculiar  to  the  White  Stork  of  Europe. 
The  nest  is  a  large  platform  of  sticks  built  in  the  highest  trees. 

The  ^%%  is  described  as  rounded-oval  in  shape,  and  of  an  olive- 
green  color ;  size  3.33  x  2.20. 


90  NBSTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


190.    Botaurns  lentiginosos    (Montag.)    [497] 

Am«Hoau  Bittern. 

Hab.     Temperate  North  America,  south  to  Guatemala  and  the  Weit  Indies. 

This  noted  bird  is  known  by  various  names,  such  as  Indian  Hen, 
Stake  Driver,  Bog-bull,  and  Thunder  Pump.  It  inhabits  the  entire 
temperate  North  America,  north  to  58°  or  60°,  and  breeds  chiefly  from 
the  Middle  districts  northward,  wintering  thence  southward.  The 
name  last  mentioned  is  occasioned  by  its  hoarse,  gurgling  cry  of  alarm. 
The  bird  is  often  spoken  of  by  the  poets  as  the  "  booming  bittern."  In 
the  breeding  season  it  has  a  "love  note"  that  resembles  the  stroke  of 
a  mallet  on  a  stake,  chunk-a-lunk-chunk^  quank-chunk-a-lunk-chunk. 
The  American  Bittern  never  associates  with  other  species  of  Heron 
and  is  not  even  fond  of  the  society  of  its  own  kind.  It  does  not  br'^ed 
in  colonies  and  the  nest  is  difficult  to  discover.  It  inhabits  almost  im- 
penetrable swampy  places :  the  bog,  the  reedy  marsh,  and  the  tangled 
brake,  where  its  nest  is  placed  on  the  ground.  The  eggs  are  brown- 
ish-drab  or  isabella  color,  unspotted,  elliptical  in  shape,  three  to  five 
in  number,  but  generally  only  three ;  size  from  1.90  to  2.00  long  by 
"bout  1.50  broad. 

191.    Botaurns  exilis    (Gmel.)    [498] 

Iieast  Bittern. 

Hab.    Temperate  North  America,  from  the  British  Provinces  to  the  West  Indies  and  South  America. 

An  extremely  interesting  little  bird,  of  quiet,  retiring  habits. 
Breeds  throughout  its  range.  In  some  places  as  many  as  a  dozen  or 
twenty  pairs  breed  alonw  the  grassy  shores  of  a  small  lake  or  pond. 
I,ike  the  last  it  inhabits  reedy  swamps  and  marshes  where  the  quag- 
mire abounds  with  a  luxuriant  growth  of  rushes,  which  is  also  the 
home  of  the  Rails.  The  nest  is  placed  on  the  ground  or  in  the  midst 
of  the  rankest  jrass,  or  in  a  bush.  It  is  often  placed  on  floating  bog, 
and  is  simply  a  platform  of  dead  rushes.  The  bird  has  many  odd 
habits.  When  standing  on  the  edge  of  a  Jtream,  with  its  neck  drawn 
in,  it  is  often  taken  for  a  woodcock,  the  long  bill  giving  it  this  appear- 
ance. It  appears  so  stupid  at  times  that  it  may  be  caught  with  the 
hand.  The  bird  is  mostly  seen  just  before  or  after  sunset.  In  many 
of  the  Southern  States  this  species  rears  two  broods  in  a  season,  fresh 
eggs  having  been  obtained  in  May  and  in  August.  In  Texd.s,  Mr. 
Rachford  says  it  nests  along  the  edges  of  the  water  courses  in  May 
bending  down  the  tops  of  water  grass  and  platting  it  into  a  snug  little 
nest,  about  two  or  three  feet  above  the  water.  Mr.  Perry  informs  me 
that  the  Least  Bittern  in  Beaufort  county.  South  Carolina,  makes  its 
home  in  the  fresh  water  ponds  and  commences  to  build  about  the  loth 
of  Ma^',  fixing  the  nest  in  the  thick  rushes.    The  eggs  of  the  Least 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


91 


tlie 
any 
esh 
Mr. 
VI  ay 


Bittern  are  from  three  to  five,  usually  four,  in  number,  pale  bluish 
or  greenish-white,  elliptical  in  shape.    Six  eggs  measure  as  follows : 
1. 15 X. 90,  1. 16 X. 93,  1.22 X. 95,  1.23 X. 92,  1.24X.93,  1.23 X. 93.     The- 
average  size  is  1.20X.93. 

192.    Ardea  occidentalis    Aud.    [486.]  ^ 

Great  White  Heron. 

Hab.     Florida,  Jamaica,  accidental  in  Mis^sissippi  Valley. 

This  beautiful,  majestic  bird,  known  as  the  Florida  Heron,  is  an 
abundant  resident  of  Florida,  the  Keys  and  southward  to  Cuba  and 
Jamaica.  In  Florida,  however,  it  is  said  not  to  be  so  abundant  as  in 
former  years.  Whole  rookeries  have  been  destroyed  by  the  'plume 
hunters,'  who  collect  feathers  for  hats  and  other  decorative  purposes. 
The  birds  are  killed  and  the  plumes  are  taken  from  their  back,  head 
and  breast,  and  the  carcasses  thrown  to  the  buzzards.* 

This  Heron  nests  usually  in  large  colonies,  and  in  company  with 
the  Great  Blue  Heron.  Most  of  the  nests  are  built  low  down,  not 
more  than  five  or  ten  feet  from  the  ground,  but  where  the  birds  are  dis- 
turbed the  nests  are  placed  in  the  highest  mangroves.  They  are 
simply  platforms  of  sticks. 

The  eggs  are  plain  bluish-green,  of  varying  shades;  sizes  from 
2.00  to  2.45  long  by  1.80  to  1.85  broad. 

The  bird  known  as  A.  wuerdemanni  (Baird)t  is  believed  to  be  either 
a  coloied  phase  of  A.  occidentalism  or  an  abnormal  specimen  of  A. 
wardi  Ridgw. 

183.    Ardea  wardi    Ridgw. 

„  ^     r,.     ,  Ward'*   Heron. 

Hab.     Florida. 

This  large  Heron  in  its  white  phase  is  described  as  indistinguish- 
able from  the  Great  White  Heron  ;  in  the  colored  phase  like  occidentalism 
but  with  the  head  colored  as  in  the  Great  Blue  Heron.  It  is  restricted 
to  Florida ;  common  in  the  southwestern  portion,  and  may  frequently 
be  found  nesting  along  the  coast.  It  breeds  in  communities  with  other 
herons,  egrets  and  snake  birds,  constructing  the  same  kind  of  nest  as 
does  the  Great  Blue  Heron. 

The  eggs  are  four,  often  only  three,  in  number.  Prof.  Ridgway 
gives  the  average  measurement  as  about  2.65x1.85.  Their  color  is 
bluish-green. 

194.    Ardea  herodias    Linn.    [487.] 


Hab. 


Great   Blue    Heron. 

North  America,  from  the  Arctic  regions  southward  to  the  West  Indies  and  South  America. 


The   Great   Blue  Heron  is  often  erroneously  called  "Sand-hill 


*See  W.  E.  D.  Scott's  article  on  the  Present  Condition  of  the  Bird  Rookeries  of  the  Gulf  Coast  of 
Florida  in  The  Auk,  Vol.  IV,  pp.  135-144,  218-222,  278-2!J4. 

tPlaced  in  the  Hypothetical  List  of  the  A.  O,  U.  Check  List. 


t  !  ■ 


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11 


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Mi 


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'':1» 


J 


92 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


I 


Crane  "  or  "  Blue  Crane  " — in  fact  it  is  better  known  by  either  of  these 
names  than  it  is  by  its  proper  vernacular  name.  One  of  the  most 
characteristic  birds  of  North  America,  breeding  singly  and  in  colonies 
in  suitable  places  throughout  its  range.  In  the  warmer  parts  of  the 
country  it  breeds  in  vast  heronries  in  company  with  other  species  of 
herons,  to  which  places  they  resort  year  after  year. 

In  Florida  it  is  very  abundant,  but  its  numbers  are  rapidly  decreas- 
ing by  the  constant  persecution  of  the  '  plume  hunters.'  Its  rookeries 
are  so  frequently  broken  up,  and  the  remaining  birds  compelled  to 
retire  to  other  resorts,  that  the  breeding  season  may  be  said  to  extend 
over  a  period  of  five  or  six  months,  and  no  doubt  two  broods  are  reared 
in  a  season. 

The  nest  is  placed  in  high  trees  along  rivers,  or  in  the  depths  of 
retired  swamps;  in  localities  destitute  of  trees  it  is  built  on  rocks. 
Sycamore  trees  seem  to  be  favorite  resorts  of  these  birds,  the  light 
color  of  the  limbs  and  the  peculiar  tint  of  the  foliage  harmonizing  so 
well  with  their  plumage  as  to  render  their  presence  difficult  of  detec- 
tion. The  eggs  are  plain  greenish-blue ;  varying  from  elliptical  to  oval 
in  shape ;  three  to  six  in  number,  commonly  three  or  four ;  average 
size  2.50x1.50. 

[195]    Ardea  clnerea    Linn.    [488.] 


Hab. 


European   Blue   Heroiii 

Europe;  accidental  in  Southern  Greenland. 


iSi 


This  is  a  familiar  Heron  in  Europe,  and  is  very  abundant  in  places 
where  it  is  protected  by  law.  In  England  most  of  its  breeding  places 
are  guarded  by  land  owners.  In  the  middle  ages  when  falconry  was 
a  favorite  sport  the  bird  was  held  as  royal  game,  and  penal  enactments 
preserved  it  for  the  pleasure  of  royalty. 

This  Heron  builds  its  nest  according  to  circumstances,  either  on 
the  ground,  in  trees,  or  on  high  rocks.  It  breeds  in  colonies,  and  its 
favorite  nesting  places  are  on  the  tops  of  trees,  on  the  outer  branches. 
The  nest  is  large  and  flat,  composed  of  sticks  and  lined  with  grass. 
Each  year  the  nests  are  repaired  and  augmented  until  they  become 
very  massive. 

The  eggs  are  four  or  five  in  number,  of  a  pale  green  color,  and 
measure  2.42  x  1.72.  Four  eggs  from  England  in  my  collection  measure 
2.48x1.67,  2.49x1.61,  2.52x1.64,  2.40x1.65. 

198.    Ardea  egretta    Gmel.    [489.] 

American  Egvet. 

Hab.  Temperate  and  tropical  America,  from  New  Jersey,  Minnesota  and  Oregon,  south  to  Patagonia; 
casually  on  the  Atlantic  coast  to  Nova  Scotia. 

This  beautiful  species,  the  Great  White  Egret  of  America,  has  an 


»!■• 


II 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


93 


aces 

aces 

was 

lents 


,  and 
isure 


agonia; 

IS  an 


extended  distribution,  breeding  as  far  north  on  the  Atlantic  coast  as 
New  Jersey,  on  the  Pacific  coast  to  Oregon,  and  in  the  interior  as  far 
north  as  Southern  Illinois.  It  breeds  throughout  South  America  to 
Patagonia,  and  is  a  resident  on  the  Island  of  Trinidad.  In  the  enor- 
mous rookeries  of  Florida  this  bird  was  formerly  abundant,  but  of  late 
years  the  'plume  hunters'  have  wrought  great  destruction  in  their 
numbers.  It  is  a  bird  of  purest  white,  and  during  the  breeding  season 
has  a  magnificent  train  of  silky  plumes  flowing  from  the  back  over 
the  wings  and  drooping  far  beyond  the  tail.  The  nests  of  the  Great 
White  Egret  are  built  in  deep  cypress  swamps,  often  on  the  tops  of 
the  tallest  trees ;  others  are  found  on  low  bushes  or  on  mangroves,  a 
short  distance  above  water. 

The  eggs  are  plain  bluish-green,  varying  from  elliptical  to  oval ; 
two  to  four  in  number  and  measure  from  2.20  to  2.35  long  by  1.40  to 

1.65  broad. 

197.    Ardea  candidissima    Gmel.    [490.] 

Sno'ory  Heron. 

Hab.  Temperate  and  tropical  America,  from  Long  Island  and  Oregon,  so'Uh  to  Buenoi  Ayres;  casual 
on  the  Atlantic  coast  to  Nova  Scotia. 

The  breeding  range  of  this  species  is  almost  the  same  as  that  of 
the  last.  A  few  are  supposed  to  be  summer  residents  as  far  north  as 
Long  Island,  from  thence  southward  it  is  found  along  the  entire  Gulf 
coast  and  the  shores  of  both  oceans.  It  occurs  in  the  interior  as  frr 
north  as  Oregon.  Very  abundant  throughout  a  large  portion  of  South 
America,  the  West  Indies,  Mexico  and  Central  America.  It  is  called 
Little  White  Egret,  and  is  doubtless  the  handsomest  bird  of  this 
tribe.  Pure  white,  with  crest  composed  of  numerous  elongated,  hair- 
like  feathers ;  similar  plume  on  the  lower  neck ;  the  same  on  the  back 
which  extends  beyond  the  tail  and  are  recurved  when  perfect.  In 
Texas,  Mr.  Rachford  says  this  species  nests  in  colonies,  usually  prefer- 
ing  willow  bushes  in  the  marshes  for  this  purpose.  The  breeding  sea- 
son is  from  the  latter  part  of  April  to  the  middle  of  June.  Mr.  Stuart 
mentions  it  as  abundant  along  the  Gulf  coast  of  Florida,  where  it  breeds 
on  the  mangrove  islands,  and  in  the  interior  in  the  willow  ponds  and 
swamps,  generally  in  company  with  the  Louisiana  and  Little  Blue 
Herons.    The  nest  is  simply  a  platform  of  sticks. 

The  eggs  are  from  two  to  five  in  number,  usually  four,  varying 

from  elliptical  to  oval  in  form;  sizes  from  1.80  to  1.85  long  by  1.20  to 

1.25  broad. 

198.    Ardea  rufa    Bodd.    [491.] 

Reddiah  Egret. 

Hab.    Gulf  States  and  Mexico,  south  to  Guatemala,  Jamaica  and  Cuba. 

The  Reddish  Egret  is  an  abundant  resident  of  the  Gulf  States. 


i  i 


w 


94 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OP 


It  is  common  in  Florida  and  in  Mexico,  southward  to  the  West  Indies 
and  Central  America.  The  bird  called  Peak's  Egret*  is  supposed  to 
be  the  white  phase  of  A.  rufa.  The  nesting  habits  of  the  Reddish 
Egret  are  essentially  the  «=ame  as  those  of  the  Louisiana  and  Snowy 
Herons.  Mr.  Stuart  informs  me  that  he  has  never  found  them  very 
plentiful  along  the  Gulf  coast  of  Florida,  where  they  breed  on  the 
islands,  placing  the  nest  on  the  mangrove  bushes. 

The  eggs  are  light  bluish-green,  elliptical  in  form ;  two  to  four  in 
number,  and  measure  from  1.85  to  2.00  long  by  1.40  to  1.50  broad. 

199.    Ardea  tricolor  mficoUis    (Gosse.)    [492.] 

Lonlaiana   Heron. 

Hab.    Gulf  States,  Mexico,  Central  America  and  West  Indies;  casually  northward  to  New  Jersey. 

In  summer  the  Louisiana  Heron  is  distributed  from  the  Carolinas 
southward.  It  is  very  abundrit  all  along  the  Gulf  States,  into  Mexico 
and  Central  America,  and  is  found  in  the  West  Indies.  Known  as 
*'  Lady  of  the  Waters."  It  has  an  occipital  crest  of  several  long  feathers 
and  a  splendid  train  of  decomposed,  fringe-like  feathers  extending  be- 
yond the  tail. 

Mr.  Stuart  states  that  it  is  very  abundant  on  the  mangrove  islands 
along  the  gulf  coast  of  Florida,  where  it  breeds  in  communities,  placing 
the  nests  on  the  mangrove  bushes ;  in  the  interior  it  is  found  nesting 
in  the  willow  swamps,  and  usually  in  company  with  the  Little  Blue 
and  Snowy  Herons.  Four  or  five  eggs  are  deposited.  Fresh  eggs 
may  be  found  in  May  and  June. 

In  Texas,  Mr.  Rachford  says,  this  species  nests  similarly  to  the 
Snowy  Heron,  but  its  breeding  season  commences  a  little  earlier  than 
that  of  the  latter — about  the  first  of  April. 

The  eggs  are  from  two  to  four,  sometimes  five,  in  number,  bluish- 
green,  and  measure  from  1.75  to  1.80  long  by  1.30  to  1.40  broad. 

200.    Ardea  coerulea    Linn.    [493.] 

Little  Bine  Heron. 

Hab.  New  Jersey,  Illinois  and  Kansas,  southward  through  Central  America,  West  Indies,  Guiana  and 
New  Grenada;  casually  north  on  the  Atlantic  coast  to  Massachusetts  and  Maine. 

This  beautiful  little  Heron  is  abundant  in  the  South  Atlantic  and 
G'llf  States.  It  has  been  found  breeding  in  all  favorable  localities 
intermediate  between  Florida  and  New  Jersey,  on  the  coast,  and  speci- 
mens have  wandered  into  the  interior.  It  is  found  throughout  Mexico, 
Central  America  and  the  northern  portion  of  South  America.  The 
breeding  habits  are  like  those  of  the  Snowy  and  Louisiana  Herons, 

^Hypothetical  List  of  the  A.  O.  U.  Check  List. 


■■«•*' 'WiiSSl^T 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


95 


nesting  with  them  in  trees  and  bushes,  often  in  large  communities  in 
deep  swamps. 

The  e^fgs  are  bluish-green,  two  to  four  in  number,  generally  more 
oval  than  oiher  Herons'  eggs  are.  The  sizes  vary  from  1.60  to  1.82  in 
length  by  1.25  to  1.35  in  breadth. 

The  young  of  this  Heron  are  pure  whiter  and  should  not  be  con- 
founded with  immature  specimens  of  A.  candidissima^  Snow>  Heron, 
which  is  of  the  same  size  and  similar  form. 


201.    Ardea  virescens    Linn    [494.] 

6re*ii   Heron. 

Hab.    Canada  and  Oregon,  southward  to  northern  South  America  and  the  West  Indies. 

Throughout  the  United  States  in  all  favorable  localities  this  is  a 
well-known  and  an  abundant  bird,  breeding  in  suitable  places  any- 
where in  its  range.  It  has  a  number  of  common  names,  among  which 
"  Fly-up-the-Creek  "  is  probably  the  most  refined.  It  is  resident  in  the 
West  Indies  and  in  Central  America,  and  is  found  in  the  northern 
regions  of  South  America.  The  bird  frequents  the  borders  of  ponds 
and  swamps,  or  it  may  be  found  along  running  streams  whose  banks 
are  fringed  with  trees  or  thick  shrubbery.  While  on  the  wing  it  fre- 
quently utters  its  familiar  guttural  cry  or  squawk.  Its  food  consists  of 
insects  and  aquatic  larvae,  Crustacea  and  small  fishes,  for  which  it  usually 
searches  in  the  twiHght.  During  the  day  it  is  sluggish,  and  may  be 
found  quietly  resting. 

The  nest  of  this  Heron  is  made  of  twigs,  very  loosely  put  together ; 
it  is  placed  in  the  branches  of  trees  or  bushes  on  the  border  of  a  stream 
or  swamp ;  sometimes  in  an  orchard  tree  at  considerable  distance  from 
water. 

The  eggs  are  light  greenish-blue,  elliptical  in  shape  and  are  from 
three  to  six  in  number,  four  being  the  usual  nest  complement.  Average 
measurement  is  1.50  x  1.14. 

202.    Nycticorax  nycticorax  nsBvius    (Bonn.)    [495.] 

Blaok-oroiimad    NlBht   Heron. 

Hab.    America,  from  the  British  Posscfssions  southward  to  the  Falkland  Islands. 

A  handsome  bird,  whose  neck  and  legs  are  not  so  long  as  those  of 
other  Herons.  It  has  a  stout  body,  and  its  total  length  is  about  two 
feet.  It  has  two  or  three  very  long  white,  filamentous  plumes  spring- 
ing from  the  occiput. 

The  Black-crowned  Night  Heron,  Qua-bird  or  Squawk,  as  it  is 
variously  called,  is  found  throughout  the  entire  continent  of  America, 
except  the  Arctic  regions.     It  breeds  in  several  of  the  West  Indies, 


■M-S 


H  ■: 


:» 


96 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


%>  ! 


and  is  resident  throughout  Central  America,  breeding  in  all  suitable 
localities.  It  is  found  throughout  the  greater  portion  of  South 
America,  and  has  been  observed  breeding  on  the  Falkland  Islands. 
Throughout  the  United  States,  in  various  sections,  large  colonies  may 
be  found  during  the  breeding  season.  Hundreds,  and  even  thousands, 
colonize  and  form  extensive  heronries.  Mr.  M.  B.  Griffing,  of  Shelter 
Island,  N.  Y.,  says  that  in  the  heronry  on  Gardiner's  Island  as  many  as 
four  nests  were  found  in  a  single  tree,  all  containing  eggs.  Tall  trees 
are  usually  selected  for  the  nesting  sites,  and  they  are  not  always  easy 
of  access.  The  nests  are  bulky  platforms  of  sticks,  considerably  hol- 
lowed. Mr.  Rachford  says  that  in  the  vicinity  of  Beaumont,  Texas, 
this  Heron  nests  in  cypress  trees  along  the  banks  of  streams,  and  that 
the  breeding  season  begins  about  the  first  of  April.  The  greatest 
number  of  eggs  found  in  any  nest  is  four,  which  is  the  usual  number. 
In  all  the  sets  that  Mr.  Griffing  and  Mr.  Worthington  had  collected  for 
three  years  there  were  but  four  sets  containing  more  than  four  eggs ; 
these  were  three  of  five  and  one  of  six. 

The  eggs  are  pale,  bluish-green,  varying  from  elliptical  to  oval ; 
sizes  from  1.90  to  2.15,  by  1.35  to  1.55  broad.  In  some  localities  the 
nest  of  this  Heron  is  built  on  the  ground  in  marshes. 

203.    Nycticorax  violaceus    (Linn.)    [496."! 

ITelloiir-orowned   Night   Heroiii 

Hab.  Warm-temperate  Eastern  North  America,  from  the  Carolinas  and  the  Lower  Ohio  Valley 
south  to  Brazil;  casually  north  to  Massachusetts  and  west  to  Colorado. 

The  Yellow-crowned  Night  Heron  is  a  southern  species,  known  to 
breed  on  the  Atlantic  coast  as  far  north  as  the  Carolinas,  and  in  the 
interior  as  far  north  as  Southern  Indiana,  Illinois  and  Missouri.  It  is 
found  along  the  entire  Gulf  coast  of  Mexico,  throughout  the  West 
Indies,  Central  America  and  in  Northern  South  America.  The  bird  is 
very  similar  to  the  Black-crowned  Night  Heron,  but  is  a  little  smaller. 
The  back  and  head  are  furnished  with  long,  elegant,  lanceolate  plumes. 
The  general  color  is  pale,  ashy-blue.  Its  nest  is  a  slight  platform  of 
sticks.  In  some  parts  of  the  Southern  States  this  Heron  is  said  to  be 
quite  abundant,  while  in  others  it  is  rarely  met  with.  In  portions  of 
Florida  it  breeds  in  great  numbers,  generally  in  company  with  other 
species,  forming  large  heronries,  especially  in  the  interior  in  large 
cypress  swamps.  In  the  southern  portion  of  South  Carolina  it  nests  in 
swamps  or  in  tall  trees  which  are  surrounded  by  water.  In  various 
regions  of  Texas  the  nest  of  this  Heron  is  built  on  the  lower  branches 
of  a  cypress  tree,  near  some  stream.  Mr.  Rachford  says  he  never 
found  more  than  two  or  three  nests  in  close  proximity  to  one  another, 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


97 


but  frequently  found  the  birds  breeding  in  company  with  the  Snowy 
and  Louisiana  Herons.  The  nesting  season  is  during  April  and  May. 
He  has  taken  as  many  as  six  eggs  from  a  nest ;  the  usual  number,  how- 
ever, is  four.  They  vary  in  shape  from  elliptical  to  oval ;  sizes  1.90  to 
2.00  long  by  1.40  to  1.50  broad. 

204.  Grus  americana    (Linn.)    [582.] 

IVlioopliiK  Orane. 

Hab.  Interior  of  North  America,  from  the  Fur  Countries  to  Florida,  Texas  and  Mexico,  and  from  Ohio 
to  Colorado. 

The  Great  White  or  Whooping  Crane  is  confined  to  the  interior  of 
North  America,  and  breeds  from  Illinois,  Iowa,  Minnesota  and  Dakota 
northward,  passing  the  winter  in  the  swamps  of  Florida  and  Texas. 
Its  chief  line  of  migration  seems  to  be  the  Mississippi  Valley  at  large. 
It  is  said  to  be  common  in  the  Fur  Countries.  Breeds  in  various  places 
throughout  Manitoba,  building  its  nest  on  the  ground  in  the  midst  of 
rank  grass  near  marshes,  or  in  wet  meadows.  Mr.  J.  W.  Preston  men- 
tions the  finding  of  a  number  of  nests  in  Northern  Iowa.  One  found  in 
the  marshes  near  Eagle  Lake,  was  about  eighteen  inches  in  height, 
well  built  of  tough,  fine  marsh  grass  and  placed  on  firm  sod ;  it  was 
neatly  cupped  and  contained  two  heavily  marked,  drab-colored  eggs.* 

The  eggs  of  the  Whooping  Crane  are  large  and  coarse  looking; 
in  color,  light  brownish-drab,  sparsely  marked,  with  large  irregular 
spots  of  a  pale  dull  chocolate-brown  and  obscure  shell-markings ;  ellip- 
tical ;  the  shell  is  very  rough,  covered  with  numerous  elevations  like 
little  warts;  Dr.  Coues  says  two  (or  three?)  in  number;  size  about  3.75 
by  2.65.  Some  eggs  are  blotched  irregularly  over  the  surface,  while 
others  are  marked  at  the  smaller  or  greater  end.  Two  eggs  in  my  col- 
lection from  Northern  Iowa  measure  3.89x2.52,  4.03x2.55,  respectively. 

205.  Grns  canadensis    (Linn.)    [584.] 

laittle  Brofra  Crane. 

Hab.  Arctic  and  subarctic  America,  breeding  from  the  Fur  Countries  and  Alaska  to  the  Arctic  coast, 
migrating  south  in  winter  into  the  Western  United  States. 

The  Little  Brown  Crane,  which  is  almost  exactly  like  the  next 
species,  but  smaller,  is  abundant  in  Arctic  America.  Specimens  of 
the  bird  and  its  eggs  have  been  taken  in  various  parts  of  Alaska. 
Common  on  the  Island  of  St.  Michael's  and  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Yukon.  Eggs  were  obtained  by  Mr.  Dall,  on  the  Yukon  river,  June 
17th.  They  were  laid  in  a  depression  of  the  sandy  beach.  This 
species  is  common  in  the  marshes  of  Norton  Sound,  where  their  nests 
are  built  on  the  dry  knolls,  and  the  eggs  are  laid  before  the  end  of 
May.  Throughout  most  parts  of  Manitoba,  the  Little  Brown  Crane  is  a 

*The  Oologist,  Vol.  IV,  p.  43. 
8 


';•) 


1. 


98 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


f'. 


Ill 


li 


common  summer  resident.  Eggs  have  been  obtained  on  the  Lower 
Anderson  river,  in  Franklin  Bay,  and  in  Liverpool  Bay  on  the  Arctic 
coast.  The  nest  is  said  to  be  a  hole  scooped  in  the  ground,  lined  with 
grasses. 

The  eggs  are  two  in  number ;  their  color  ashy-yellow,  spotted  and 
blotched  with  reddish-brown,  of  the  same  general  character  as  those  of 
the  precedmg  species ;  rather  elliptical ;  size  3.65x2.30. 

206.    Grus  mexicana    (Mull.)    [583.] 

Sandhill  Crane. 

Hab.  Southern  half  of  North  America;  now  rare  near  the  Atlantic  coast,  except  in  Georgia  and 
Florida. 

The  Southern  Sandhill  Crane,  Common  Brown  or  Sandhill  Crane, 
as  it  is  variously  called,  is  found  in  the  United  States  chiefly  in  the 
Mississippi  Valley  west  to  the  Pacific  coast  and  south  into  Mexico  and 
eastward  along  the  Gulf  coast  to  Florida  and  Georgia.  It  is  irregularly 
distributed  and  apparently  breeds  in  sufficiently  mild  regions  through- 
out its  range.  It  has  been  found  nesting  in  Michigan,  is  reported 
breeding  in  Northern  Ohio,  and  is  known  to  breed  on  the  table-lands 
of  Colorado.  *" 

Mr,  Stuart  says  that  in  various  regions  of  Florida,  this  species 
nests  during  the  months  of  February,  March  and  April.  The  nests 
are  usually  built  in  shallow  grassy  ponds,  which  are  common  in  the 
pine  woods  and  prairies  of  that  State.  They  are  flat  and  composed 
of  a  mass  of  grass,  weeds,  roots,  etc.,  slightly  elevated  above  the  water, 
oftentimes  not  more  than  two  or  three  inches.  On  this  structure  two 
eggs  are  deposited,  Mr.  Stuart  remarks  that  the  young  birds  are  able 
to  follow  the  parents  soon  after  being  hatched. 

The  eggs  are  ashy-yellow,  with  a  buffy  tinge,  spotted  and  blotched 
with  brown,  reddish-brown  and  various  shades  of  gray.  The  average 
size  is  3,98x2,44,  Two  eggs  in  my  cabinet  from  Florida  measure 
3.85x2.35,3.82x2.36. 

207.    Aramus  glganteus    (Bonap.)    [581.] 

Limpkin. 

Hab.     Florida;  coast  of  Gulf  of  Mexico;  Greater  Antilles,  south  to  Costa  Rica. 

The  Courlans  are  large.  Rail-like  birds  and  are  in  fact  very  close- 
ly allied  to  the  true  Rails,  with  but  a  slight  difference  in  their  external 
structure.  There  is  one  genus  with  two  species,  inhabiting  the  warmer 
parts  of  America.  The  Brazilian  Courlan,  A.  scolopaceus  (Gmel.), 
occurs  in  Eastern  South  America,  while  the  Limpkin,  which  holds  a 
place  in  the  Nor:h  American  fauna,  is  found  in  the  Greater  Antilles, 
portions  of  Central  America,  with  only  a  restricted  distribution  inFlor- 


it  i 


NORTH  AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


99 


ida.  It  is  called  Crying  Bird  from  its  loud  and  startling  note  which  is 
said  to  be  not  unlike  the  cry  of  a  child  in  distress.  Mr.  Thomas  H. 
Jackson  met  with  this  species  breeding  in  the  sub-tropical  wilds  of  the 
Ocklawaha  river  in  Florida.  He  states  that  this  bird  chooses  for  a 
nesting  place  a  secluded  spot  on  the  banks  of  a  river  or  slough.  Sev- 
eral pairs  often  nest  close  together  in  the  manner  of  Herons,  though 
isolated  nests  are  frequently  observed. 

The  nest  is  made  of  pieces  of  dead  vines,  dry  leaves  and  old  veg- 
etation of  various  kinds  loosely  constructed  and  generally  bedded  on  a 
mass  of  vines,  from  five  to  eight  feet  from  the  ground. 

The  usual  complement  of  eggs  laid  is  five  or  six ;  four  and  seven 
are  not  uncommon  numbers.  Fourteen  sets  in  Mr.  Jackson's  cabinet 
consist  of  eight  sets  of  six,  one  of  five,  two  of  seven,  two  of  four  and 
one  of  three  eggs.  In  size,  shape  and  texture  of  shell  they  resemble 
those  of  the  domestic  fowl,  while  in  color  and  markings  they  are  sim- 
ilar to  those  of  the  Sandhill  Crane — varying  from  almost  pure  white  to 
creamy,  buff,  and  grayish-white.  The  eggs  are  variously  spotted, 
daubed  and  stained  with  brown  and  gray. 

A  set  of  six  eggs  containing  the  largest  specimens  in  the  series, 
exhibit  the  following  dimensions:  2.57x1.80,  2.44x1.55,  2.40x1.77, 
2.28  X  1.75,  2.39  X  1.80,  2.41  x  1.83 ;  the  set  showing  the  smallest  sizes  are 
given  as  follows:  2.21  x  1.72,  2.21  x  1.70,  2.22  x  1.62,  2.23  x  1.63, 
2.45x1,63,  2.23x1.65.* 


208.    Rallus  elegans    Aud.     [569.] 

King  Rail. 

Hab.  Fresh-water  marshes  of  Eastern  United  States  from  the  Middle  States,  Northern  Illinois,  Wis- 
consin and  Kansas  southward.    Casually  north  to  Massachusetts  and  Maine,  and  Ontario. 

The  King  Rail,  Fresh-water  Marsh  Hen,  or  Red-breasted  Rail,  is 
distributed  in  summer  from  New  York  southward,  breeding  throughout 
the  inland  marshes.  It  is  a  summer  resident  in  Ohio.  I  collected  eggs 
of  this  species  in  a  marsh  a  few  miles  from  Columbus  in  May,  1887. 
It  is  frequently  confounded  with  the  Clapper  Rail ;  the  latter,  however, 
is  confined  to  the  vicinity  of  salt  water,  and  is  a  bird  of  duller  plumage. 
The  nest  of  this  Rail  is  placed  on  the  ground  in  a  marsh,  often  fastened 
in  a  tussock  of  grass.     It  is  composed  of  grass  and  weeds. 

The  eggs  vary  from  a  dull  white  to  cream  or  pale  buff,  sparsely 
dotted  and  spotted  with  reddish-brown  and  lilac ;  six  to  twelve  in  num- 
ber; size  from  1.55  to  1.72  long  by  1.15  to  1.25  broad,  averaging  1.67 
by  1. 12. 

•  Ornithologist  and  Oologist  XII,  pp.  159-160. 


100 


NBSTS  AND  EGOS  OF 


i 


: 


Hab. 


210.    Rallns  obsoletna    Ridow.    [570.] 

California  Olappar  RalL 

Salt  marnhei  of  the  Pacific  coast  from  Lower  California  to  Oref  on. 


Mr.  Bryant  regards  this  Rail  as  abundant,  at  all  seasons  of  the 
year,  on  the  salt  marshes  of  Oakland,  San  Mateo,  and  other  marshes 
that  are  partially  covered  by  the  highest  tides,  at  which  times  the  birds 
are  remarkably  tame.  They  swim  well,  and  when  wounded  and  closely 
pursued  they  dive  and  hold  on  to  the  marsh  grass  beneath  the  water  to 
keep  from  rising.  They  commence  breeding  in  April,  selecting  a  high 
piece  of  marsh  ground,  usually  on  the  bank  of  a  slough. 

The  nest  is  composed  wholly  of  dry  marsh  grass,  loosely  laid  to- 
gether. The  bird  deposits  eight  or  nine  eggs,  of  a  light,  creamy  buff, 
spotted,  often  blotched,  with  reddish-brown  and  lavender  markings,  the 
latter  color  appearing  as  if  beneath  the  shell.  Of  some  thirty-six  spec- 
imens examined,  all  have  markings  more  numerous  at  the  larger  end ; 
on  some  the  lavender  predominates.  A  set  of  eight,  taken  at  San 
Mateo,  April  24th,  contained  small  embryos.  They  measure  respect- 
ively 1,70x1.25,  1.73x1.23,  1.75x1.23,  1.77x1.23,  1.68x1.23,  1.70X 
1.22,  1.63  X  1.26,  1.69  X  1.24.    The  average  size  of  thirteen  eggs  is  1.71  x 

1.24.* 

In  the  marshes  of  San  Francisco  Bay  Mr.  Emerson  took  eggs  of 

this  Rail  in  April,  May  and  June,  one  set  containing  seven  eggs. 
211.    Rallns  longirostris  crepitans  (Gmel.)    [571] 

Olappsr  Rail. 

Salt  marshes  of  the  Atlantic  coast  of  the  United  States,  from  New  Jersey  southward;  resident 


Hab 
from  the  Potomac  southward. 


Coast  of  Louisiana. 


The  Clapper  Rail,  or  Salt-water  Marsh  Hen,  is  an  abundant  bird  in 
the  salt  marshes  of  the  Atlantic  coast  from  New  Jersey  southward. 
Breeds  in  profusion  and  is  the  most  abundant  aquatic  bird  in  the 
marshes  from  the  Carolinas  to  Florida.  It  has  lately  been  found  breed- 
ing on  the  coast  of  Louisiana,  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  Dr.  A.  K.  Fisher 
having  taken  an  old  bird  and  two  young  at  Grand  Isle,  in  1886. 
Mr.  S.  C.  Shick,  of  Sea  Isle  City,  states  that  the  Clapper  Rail  arrives 
on  the  southeastern  coast  of  New  Jersey  about  the  last  of  April ;  their 
presence  is  made  known  by  harsh  cries  at  early  dawn  and  at  sunset. 
Nest  building  is  commenced  in  the  latter  part  of  May,  and  by  the  first 
of  June  the  full  complement  of  eggs  is  laid,  ranging  from  six  to  nine  or 
ten  in  number,  thirteen  being  the  largest  set  he  ever  obtained  from  any 
nest.  Further  south  this  bird  is  known  to  lay  as  many  as  fifteen,  this 
number,  however,  being  uncommon.  On  Cobb's  Island,  Va.,  the  Clapper 
Rail  breeds  in  great  numbers,  carefully  concealing  the  nest  in  high  grass; 

*Bun.  Nutt.  Club,  V,  p  124. 


NORTH  AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


101 


the  full  complement  of  eggs  is  laid  by  the  first  of  May.  Their  color  is  pale 
buffy-yellow,  dotted  and  spotted  with  reddish-brown  and  pale  lilac,  with 
an  average  size  of  1.72x1.20,  but  there  is  a  great  variation  in  this  re- 
spect in  a  large  series. 

212.    RalltM  ▼irg^nianiu    Linn.    [57a.] 

VlrsimU  lUU. 

Hab.    North  America,  from  the  Briliih  Provinces  louth  to  Guatemala  and  Cuba. 

The  Virginia  Rail  is  an  exact  miniature  of  ^.  elegans^  the  colora- 
tion being  exactly  the  same  ;  the  legs,  iris  and  bill  brown  —  the  latter 
reddish  —  orange  at  the  base  of  the  lower  mandible.  In  summer  it  is 
distributed  from  Canada  to  Florida;  frequenting  marshes  and  boggy 
swamps.  The  nest  is  built  in  a  tuft  of  reeds  or  grasses  close  to  the 
water ;  it  is  compact  and  slightly  hollowed.  The  eggs  are  cream  or 
buff,  sparsely  spotted  with  reddish-brown  and  obscure  lilac ;  they  are 
like  those  of  the  King  or  Clapper  R?ll,  but  of  course,  like  the  bird, 
much  smaller;  sizes  range  from  i.ro  to  1.28  long  by  .90  to  .93  broad. 
The  number  in  a  set  varies  from  six  to  twelve.  The  Virginia  Rail  and 
the'Sora  have  habits  that  are  very  similar;  when  on  the  wing  they 
will  fly  in  a  straight  line  for  a  short  distance  with  dangling  legs,  and 
suddenly  drop  into  the  grass.  The  Virginia  Rail  is  almost  exclusively 
a  fresh  water  bird. 

[213.]  Porzana  porzana  (Linn.)  [  573.] 

Spotted  Crake. 

Hab.    Europe;  oceaiional  occurrence  in  Greenland. 

The  European  Spotted  Crake  is  found  in  most  parts  of  Europe, 
Asia  and  Africa.  Common  in  Italy,  Sicily  and  in  the  Southern  por- 
tions of  Russia.  Breeds  abundantly  in  Southern  France  and  in 
various  parts  of  England.  It  frequents  the  banks  of  streams,  ponds 
and  lakes,  and  the  thick  grasses  and  vegetation  of  marshy  grounds. 
The  nest  is  usually  built  in  these  places,  being  loosely  woven  of 
aquatic  plants,  and  lined  with  finer  material  of  the  same ;  it  is  often 
placed  near  the  water's  edge,  and  so  arranged  as  to  be  capable  of  float- 
ing on  the  water.  Spotted  Rail,  Spotted  Water-hen,  Spotted  Galli- 
nule.  Water-crake,  and  Water  Rail  are  names  common  to  it  in  Eng- 
land. The  eggs  of  this  bird  are  from  seven  to  twelve  in  number; 
pale  buff"  or  cream  color,  or  of  a  yellowish-gray,  spotted  and 
speckled  with  dark  reddish-brown  and  tints  of  lavender.  Six  eggs, 
collected  in  Southern  Fiance,  in  my  cabinet  measure  1.34 x. 96,  1.36 x 
.94,  1.32  X  .93,  1.34X  .94,  1.33  X  .96  and  1.32  x  .95. 

214.    Porzana  Carolina    (Linn.)    [574] 

Sora. 

Hab.    Temperate  North  America.    South  to  the  Weit  Indies  and  Northern  South  America. 

The  little  slate-colored  Carolina  Rail  breeds  from  the  Middle  States 


:  % 


\  \ 


■\ 


102 


NSSTS  AND  SGGS  OP 


northward.  In  the  reedy  swamps  of  the  Atlantic  States  great  numbers 
of  this  Rail  are  killed  every  year.  It  is  a  highly  esteemed  game  bird, 
and  is  usually  abundant  during  the  migrations.  More  common  in  the 
Eastern  Province  of  the  United  States,  breeding  chiefly  northward. 
Mr.  Shields  states  that  the  Sora  Rail  is  quite  common  in  the  swamps 
about  Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  where  he  obtained  six  sets  of  its  eggs  in  the 
season  of  1886 ;  the  largest  set  contained  fourteen  and  smallest  seven 
eggs.  In  Ohio  the  Carolina  Crake,  Common  Rail,  Sora  or  Ortolan,  as 
it  is  variously  called,  is  a  common  summer  resident,  breeding  in  the 
extensive  swamps  and  wet  meadows  throughout  the  State.  The  Caro- 
lina Rails  are  equally  abundant  on  both  salt  and  fresh  water  marshes, 
but  the  latter  places  are  preferable  to  them  as  breeding  grounds.  The 
nest  is  a  rude  affair  made  of  grass  and  weeds,  placed  on  the  ground  in 
a  tussock  of  grass  in  a  boggy  tract  of  land,  where  there  is  a  growth  of 
briers,  etc. 

The  eggs  of  Sora  are  ovoidal  in  shape,  tapering  gradually  to  the 
smaller  end  but  not  sharply  pointed.  They  have  a  ground  color  of 
dark  cream  or  drab,  darker  than  those  of  the  Virginia  Rail ;  the  spots 
are  reddish-brown  with  purple  shell  spots  scattered  over  the  surface, 
but  more  numerous  at  the  large  end.  Twenty  eggs  in  my  collection 
have  an  average  size  of  1.26X.90. 

215.    Porzana  noveboracensis    (Gmel.)    [575.] 

TaUow  RaU. 

Hab.     Eaitern  North  America  from  Nova  Scotia  and  Hudson  Bay  west  to  Utah  and  Nevada. 

The  small  Yellow  Crake  appears  to  be  quite  rare  everywhere  in 
Eastern  North  America  or  wherever  found.  It  is  known  to  breed  in 
Northern  Illinois,  where  its  eggs  have  been  taken.  Dr.  Howard  Jones 
has  frequently  taken  it  in  the  vicinity  of  Circleville,  Ohio,  and  considers 
it  nearly  as  common  as  other  species,  and  believes  it  breeds  there,  which 
is  probably  the  case  throughout  the  State.  The  Little  Yellow  Rail  has 
the  same  general  traits  common  to  others  of  this  family,  frequenting 
marshy  places,  skulking  and  hiding  in  the  wet  grass  to  elude  observa- 
tion. The  eggs  are  said  to  be  about  six  in  number,  rich  buffy-brown, 
marked  at  the  larger  end  with  a  cluster  of  reddish-brown  dots ;  sizes 
range  from  .80  to  .85  broad  by  1.05  to  1. 12  long. 

216.    Porzana  jamaicensis    (Gmel.)    [576.] 

Blaok  Rail. 

Hab.  Temperate  North  America,  north  to  Massachusetts,  Northern  Illinois  and  Oregon;  south  to 
West  Indies  and  South  America. 

Smallest  of  our  North  American  Rails ;  not  often  found  in  the 
United  States  and  one  of  the  rarest  of  our  birds.    Its  small  size  and 


NORTH  AMERICAN    BIRDS. 


103 


secretive  habits  are  doubtless  one  of  the  causes  of  its  apparent 
scarcity.  A  nest  containing  ten  eggs  was  found  near  Saybrook,  Conn. 
Ten  fresh  eggs  were  taken  from  a  nest  in  Illinois,  June  19,  1875,  near 
Calumet  River.  The  nest  was  placed  in  a  deep,  cup-shaped  depres- 
sion ;  in  shape  and  situation  resembled  that  of  the  Meadow  Lark,  but 
the  Rail's  nest  was  much  deeper  in  proportion  to  the  diameter.  It 
was  elaborately  made  of  grass-stems  and  blades.  The  eggs  were  clear 
white,  thinly  sprinkled  with  reddish-brown  dots,  more  numerous  about 
the  large  end.* 

Dr.  Coues  says :  "  Eggs  from  New  Jersey  are  altogether  different 
from  those  of  the  Sora,  or  Yellow  Crake,  being  creamy-white,  sprinkled 
all  over  with  fine  dots  of  rich,  bright  reddish-brown,  and  with  a 
few  spots  of  some  little  size  at  the  great  end ;  most  like  the  more 
finely  speckled  examples  of  the  egg  of  the  large  Ralli;  dimensions, 
1. 05  X. 80." 

[217.]    Orex  crex    (Linn.)    [577.] 

Oorn  Crake. 

Hab.    Europe  and  Northern  Asia;  casual  viiitor  in  Greenland,  Bermudaa  and  New  Jeriey. 

The  Land  Rail,  Corn  Crake,  or  Corn  Creak,  is  an  abundant  species 
over  the  entire  continent  of  Europe.  In  England  and  Scotland  it  is 
a  familiar  bird,  where  it  breeds  in  abundance.  Very  common  in  the 
Orkney  and  Shetland  Islands.  It  frequents  the  long  grass  of  wet 
meadows,  near  rivers  and  marshes,  and  in  fields  of  grain.  Its  pres- 
ence is  indicated  by  the  creaking  note  from  which  it  takes  its  name. 
The  nest  is  placed  on  the  ground,  generally  in  a  field  of  grain,  grass  or 
clover ;  it  is  made  of  dry  plants  and  grasses.  In  England  this  bird 
nests  about  the  first  or  middle  part  of  June,  The  eggs  are  from  seven 
to  ten  in  number ;  these,  when  fresh,  are  of  a  pale  reddish-white ; 
when  blown,  the  ground  color  is  light  buff,  with  a  reddish  cast;  they 
are  spotted  and  sprinkled  with  pale  reddish-brown. 

218.    lonornis  martinica    (Linn.)    [578.] 

Pnrple  Oallliaiile. 

Hab.     Nearly  whole  of  tropical  and  warm  temperate  America.     Apparently  absent  from  the  Pacific 


coast. 


This  beautiful  Gallinule  inhabits  the  South  Atlantic  and  Gulf 
States,  and  strays  occasionally  northward  as  far  as  Maine,  New  York, 
Ohio,  Wisconsin  and  other  Northern  States.  The  bird  is  resident  in 
the  South.  From  its  bright  purplish-blue  colors  it  may  quite  readily 
be  distinguished  from  the  Florida  Gallinule,  even  at  a  long  distance. 
In  Florida  it  breeds  in  the  latter  part  of  May. 

Mr.  Rachford  writes  that  in  Texas  the  Purple  Gallinule  nests  in 

«E.  W.  Nelson :    Bull.  Nutt.  Orn.  Club.    Vol.  1,  p.  48. 


104 


NBSTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


the  tall  grass  along  the  edges  of  water  courses,  bending  the  grass 
down  and  weaving  it  together.  Besides  its  true  nest,  the  bird  makes 
several  "  shams,"  often  as  many  as  five  or  six.  The  nesting  season  is 
in  May  or  June.  Mr.  Arthur  T.  Wayne  informs  me  that  in  South 
Carolina  the  nest  is  invariably  built  in  rushes  over  water.  The  usual 
number  of  eggs  laid  is  eight  or  nine,  but  frequently  more  are  de- 
posited. The  eggs  are  cream  color,  finely  and  rather  sparsely  dotted 
with  chestnut-brown  and  umber;  rather  elliptical,  and  measure  from 
1.70  to  1.75  long  by  1.15  to  1.20  broad. 

219.    Gallinnla  galeata    (Licht.)    [579.] 

Florida  Oallinnle. 

Hab.     Temperate  and  tropiciil  America;  north  to  British  Provinces. 

Known  as  the  Common  Gallinule  and  Red-billed  Mud  Hen.  Its 
center  of  abundance  is  in  the  South  Atlantic  and  Gulf  States,  and  it 
breeds  as  far  north  as  Massachusetts.  Not  an  uncommon  summer 
resident  in  Ohio,  breeding  in  the  extensive  swamps  and  marshes 
throughout  the  State.  The  nest  is  usually  fastened  in  the  sedges  and 
marsh  grass  above  shallow  water,  or  among  the  flags.  The  foundation 
is  often  made  by  breaking  down  the  flags,  so  as  to  form  a  little  plat- 
form, which  will,  to  a  certain  degree,  rise  and  fall  with  the  water.  On 
this  the  nest  proper  is  built  of  the  last  year's  flags.  In  Florida,  where 
the  bird  is  remarkably  abundant,  the  nest  is  placed  in  the  drier  por- 
tions of  the  marshes,  among  thick  reeds  and  rushes.  A  set  of  eight 
eggs,  collected  by  Dr.  Jones  near  Circleville,  Ohio,  measure  1.70  x  1.20, 
1.81XI.18,  1.81XI.17,  1.78x1.23,  1.84x1.25,  1.84x1.22,  1.77x1.24, 
and  1.83  X  1. 16.  The  number  of  eggs  laid  ranges  from  seven  to  thirteen. 
They  are  creamy  or  brownish-buff",  rather  thickly  spotted  and  blotched 
with  brown  and  umber ;  some  of  the  spots  are  as  small  as  pin  heads ; 
sizes  vary  from  1.75  to  2.00  long  by  1.20  to  1.30  broad ;  shaped  like  an 
average  hen's  egg. 

[220.]    Fnlica  atra    Linn. 

European  fSoot. 

Hab.    Europe,  Asia  and  North  Africa. 

This  bird  closely  resembles  our  American  Coot,  but  its  average 
size  is  slightly  larger.  It  is  a  common  resident  south  of  middle  Eng- 
land, and  in  the  summer  is  found  breeding  in  the  numerous  lochs 
throughout  Scotland.  Its  habits  in  all  respects  are  like  those  of  the 
American  bird.  The  nest  is  built  in  close  proximity  to  water,  on 
islands,  borders  of  lakes,  ponds  and  rivers.  It  is  generally  placed 
among  and  attached  to  flags,  reeds  or  rushes.  It  is  large  and  roughly 
made  of  plants  and  vegetable  matter.    The  eggs  are  from  six  or  seven 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


105 


to  ten  or  even  fourteen  in  number,  pale,  dull  buff,  or  stone-<:olor,  spot- 
ted with  rust-colored,  brownish-black  and  purplish-gray.  The  average 
size  of  a  large  series  is  2.15  x  1.50. 

221.    Fnlica  amerioana    Gmel.    [580.] 

Aatwpioan  Coot 

Hab.  Whole  of  North  America:  south  to  Mexico,  Centril  and  South  America  and  West  lodiei;  north 
to  Alaska,  occasionally  to  Greenland. 

Well  known  as  the  Mud  Hen,  and  in  some  sections  the  Crow  Duck. 
This  is  the  water  fowl  that  the  young  sportsman  persists  in  shocking  as 
a  game  bird,  but  at  a  riper  age  he  does  not  "  hanker  "  after  its  flesh. 
It  is  easily  known  by  its  slate  colored  plumage,  white  or  flesh-colored 
bill,  marked  with  reddish-black  near  the  end  and  at  the  base  of  frontal 
plate,  greenish  legs  and  carmine  iris.  The  Coot  is  a  good  swim- 
mer and  diver,  having  lobate  feet  like  the  phalaropes  and  grebes.  It 
can  also  move  swiftly  through  tangled  grass  and  aquatic  plants.  On 
almost  any  large  or  small  body  of  water  sufiiciently  secluded  and  whose 
margins  are  overgrown  with  reeds  and  rushes,  or  on  sluggish  streams, 
swamps,  pools  or  reedy  sloughs,  there  you  will  find  the  Coot  during  the 
breeding  season.  The  nest  is  made  of  dead  reeds  and  grasses,  placed 
on  the  ground,  just  out  of  the  water  or  on  floating  vegetation ;  the  flags 
on  which  it  rests  being  broken  down,  rises  and  falls  with  the  water. 
Sometimes  immense  numbers  of  these  birds  breed  together.  Mr. 
Shields  records  taking  five  hundred  Coot  eggs,  together  with  large 
numbers  of  those  of  ducks  and  grebes  in  Southern  California.*  The 
eggs  are  clay  or  creamy-white,  uniformly  and  finely  dotted  all  over  with 
specks  of  dark  brown  and  blackish ;  six  to  twelve  and  fifteen  eggs  are 
often  found  in  a  single  nest ;  in  shape  and  general  style  of  color  and 
markings  resemble  those  of  the  Florida  Gallinule ;  sizes  range  from 
1.77  to  2.00  long  by  1.40  to  1.45  broad. 

222.    Grymophilns  falicarius    (Linn.)    [563.] 

Red  Phalsrop*. 

Hab.  Northern  portion  of  Northern  Hemisphere,  breeding  in  Arctic  regions,  migrating  south  in  win- 
ter; in  North  America  south  to  Middle  United  States,  Ohio  Valley  and  Lower  California. 

The  Coot-footed  Tringa,  Red  or  Gray  Phalarope,  as  it  is  differently 
called,  is  distributed  in  summer  throughout  the  Arctic  regions,  wander- 
ing far  south  in  winter.  Breeds  in  various  portions  of  Norway,  Sweden, 
Finland  and  up  into  Lapland ;  in  Siberia,  Spitzbergen,  Iceland,  Green- 
land and  the  Arctic  coast  of  North  America.  The  Phalaropes  are  curious 
birds,  partaking  of  the  nature  of  a  wader  and  a  swimmer.  The  three 
species  of  this  family  resemble  Sandpipers,  but  are  at  once  distinguished 

*Egging  in  a  California  Swamp.    Young  Oologist,  Vol.  I.,  p.  W. 


106 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


by  the  lobate  feet  like  those  of  the  Coots  and  Grebes.  The  body  is  de- 
pressed and  the  under-plumage  thick  like  that  of  a  duck.  They  ride 
the  waves  lightly  along  the  coast,  and  when  on  the  margin  of  a  stream 
or  pool  often  surprise  their  associates,  the  Sandpipers,  by  swimming 
out  into  deep  water.  The  Red  Phalarope  appears  to  be  more  exclu- 
sively maritime  than  other  species  of  the  family.  The  nest  is  a  slight 
hollow  in  the  ground,  sparsely  lined  with  moss  and  grass.  Mr.  Capen 
quotes  a  letter  from  Mr.  Boardman  in  which  he  says :  "  Twice  I  have 
found  the  Red  Phalarope  breeding  in  Maine."  The  eggs,  Mr.  Capen 
says,  are  laid  the  first  part  of  June.*  They  are  greenish  or  yellowish- 
ash,  blotched  and  spotted  with  brown  of  various  shades.  The 
eggs  of  this  species  cannot,  with  certainty,  be  distinguished  from  those 
of  the  following  species ;  in  fact,  the  range  of  coloration  is  so  varied 
that  they  are  difficult  to  describe  satisfactorily  in  a  brief  manner. 
They  are  three  or  four  in  number,  averaging  larger  than  those  of  the 
Northern  Phalarope  ;  from  1.15  to  1.30  long  by  .90  to  .95  broad. 

223.    Phalaropus  lobatus    (Linn.)    [564.]  ' 


Hab.    North  parts 


regions. 


Northern  Phalarope. 

of  North  Hemisphere,  breeding  in  Arctic   regions;  south  in  winter  '.o  tropical 

The  general  habits,  movements  and  distribution  of  the  Northern 
Phalarope  are  nearly  identical  with  those  of  the  Red  Phalarope ;  com- 
mon to  both  continents,  and  breeding  in  the  Arctic  regions  of  Asia, 
Europe  and  America.  The  nesting  habits  are  substantially  the  same 
and  the  eggs  are  laid  in  June.  The  bird  is  also  known  as  the  Red- 
necked Phalarope.  The  eggs  are  greenish  or  yellowish-ash,  thickly 
blotched  with  varying  shades  of  brown ;  three  or  four ;  sizes  range  from 
I. ID  to  1.30  long  by  .75  to  .82  broad,  averaging  1.20  by  .80;  like  the  last, 
there  is  a  great  variation  in  size,  shape  and  color. 

224.    Phalaropus  tricolor    (Vieill.)    [565] 

Wilson's  Phalarope. 

Hab.     Chiefly  interior  of  temperate  North  America;  south  in  winter  to  Brazil  and  Patagonia. 

Exclusively  an  American  bird,  more  common  in  the  interior  than 
along  the  sea  coast.  Little  information  regarding  its  habits  was  ob- 
tained by  the  older  onithologists.  Known  now  to  breed  in  Northern 
Illinois,  Iowa,  Wisconsin,  Minnesota,  Dakota,  Utah  and  Oregon.  May 
be  found  nesting  in  suitable  places  from  these  regions  northward  to 
the  Red  River  of  the  North  and  the  Saskatchewan  country.  It  is  re- 
corded as  a  summer  resident  in  Northern  Indiana  and  very  likely  breeds 
in  Northwestern  Ohio.  Mr.  N.  S.  Goss  states  that  he  is  quite  confident 
the  bird  occasionally  breeds  in  Western  Kansas.f 

^Oology  of  New  England. 

f  A  Revised  Catalogue  of  the  Birds  of  Kansas,  with  descriptive  notes  of  the  nests  and  eggs  of  the 


NORTH  AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


107 


The  nesting  habits  of  Wilson's  Phalarope  have  been  carefully 
observed  by  Mr.  E.  W.  Nelson  in  Northern  Illinois,  and  his  observa- 
tions form  a  very  complete  and  interesting  biography  of  the  species.t 
Mr.  Nelson  states  that  it  is  the  most  common  species  in  Northern 
Illinois,  frequenting  grassy  marshes  and  low  prairies,  and  is  not 
exceeded  in  numbers  even  by  the  ever-present  Spotted  Sandpiper. 
"  The  nesting-site  is  usually  in  some  thin  tuft  of  grass  on  a  level  spot, 
but  often  in  an  open  place  concealed  by  only  a  few  straggling  blades 
of  small  carices.  The  male  scratches  a  shallow  depression  in  the  soft 
earth,  which  is  usually  lined  with  a  thin  layer  of  fragments  of  old 
grass  blades,  upon  which  the  eggs,  numbering  from  three  to  four,  are 
deposited  about  the  last  of  May  or  first  of  June.  Owing  to  the  low 
situations  in  which  the  nests  are  placed,  the  first  set  of  eggs  is  often 
destroyed  by  a  heavy  fall  of  rain,  causing  the  water  to  rise  so  as  to 
submerge  the  nest.  In  this  case,  the  second  set,  numbering  two  or 
three,  is  often  deposited  in  a  depression  scratched  in  the  ground,  as  at 
first,  but  with  no  sign  of  any  lining.  Accidents  of  this  kind  cause 
the  second  set  of  eggs  to  be  sometimes  deposited  as  late  as  the  last  of 
June."  The  male  alone  undertakes  the  duties  of  incubation.  The 
eggs  are  ashy-yellow,  usually  coarsely  spotted  and  blotched  with  brown 
of  varying  shades,  with  numerous  specks  and  scratches ;  three  or  four 
in  number;  sizes  vary  from  1.20  to  1.35  in  length  by  1.90  in  breadth, 
making  them  elongate  pyriform  in  shape. 

225.    Recurvirostra  americana    Gm.    [566.] 

American   Avooet. 

Hab.  Temperate  portii.ns  of  North  America,  from  the  Saskatchewan  country  and  Great  Slave  Lake 
southward;  in  winter  to  Guatemala  and  the  West  Indies. 

A  bird  of  striking  appearance,  of  odd  coloration,  having  extra- 
ordinarily long  legs ;  feet  webbed  like  those  of  a  swimming  bird ;  body 
flattened  underneath,  and  duck-like  plumage  to  resist  the  water.  The 
most  striking  characteristic  of  the  bird,  however,  is  its  long,  decidedly 
upturned  bill,  and  from  its  blue  legs  it  receives  the  name  of  Blue- 
stocking. 

It  is  very  abundant  in  the  West,  on  the  plains  of  Dakota,  Montana, 
Wyoming,  Colorado  and  Utah.  In  these  regions  it  breeds  in  June, 
nesting  in  the  tall  grass  in  marshy  or  wet  places. 

The  eggs  vary  from  a  dark  olive  to  buff,  pretty  uniformly  and  pro- 
fusely spotted  with  chocolate-brown  of  various  shades ;  they  vary  in 
size,  shape  and  markings  like  the  birds  themselves ;  three  or  four  in 
number;  sizes  from  1.80  to  2.10  in  length  by  1.25  to  1.45  in  breadth. 

birds  known  to  breed  in  the  State.    By  N.  S.  Goss.     Published  undei  the  direction  of  the  Executive  Council, 
May,  1886.    Topeka:    T.  D.  Thacher,  State  Printer.     P.  14. 
J  Bull.  Nutt.  Club.    Vol.  II,  pp.  38-48. 


f 


I 


I  1 

II 


108  NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 

226.    Himantopiu  mexicanng    (Mull.)    [567.] 

BlMk-a*ok«d   StUt. 

Hab.  Temperate  North  America  from  Northern  United  States  southward  to  West  Indies,  Brasil, 
and  Peru. 

This  exceedingly  long-legged  bird  is  distributed  throughout  the 
United  States,  and  like  the  Avocet,  is  rare  in  the  eastern  portions.  It 
is  abundant  in  the  West,  but  its  range  is  rather  more  southerly  than 
that  of  the  Avocet.  In  Ohio  it  is  a  rare  summer  visitor.  Perhaps 
breeds.  The  nest  of  the  Stilt  is  often  only  a  slight  depression  in  the 
ground,  lined  with  dry  grasses,  situated  along  some  stream  or  ditch,  or 
near  water ;  some  collectors  have  found  the  nest  at  the  water's  edge, 
or  on  a  heaped  mass  of  vegetation  just  above  the  surface  of  shallow 
water.  A.  M.  Shields  says  that  the  Stilt  arrives  in  the  vicinity  of  Los 
Angeles,  California,  about  May  ist,  and  the  eggs  may  be  found  fresh 
until  the  middle  of  June.  He  states  that  the  birds  usually  congregate 
in  large  flocks  in  some  suitable  locality,  and  build  their  nests  close 
together,  a  score  or  more  are  often  found  within  a  few  yards  of  each 
other ;  the  nests  being  composed  of  small  sticks  and  roots,  closely  laid 
together  and  placed  among  the  grass  on  the  margin  of  a  lake  or  river.* 

This  record  refers  to  the  abundance  of  the  Stilt  in  the  season  of 
1883,  and  those  previous;  but  I  am  informed  by  Mr.  Shields  that 
the  bird  is  not  so  abundant  as  formerly,  only  a  few  pair  breeding  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Los  Angeles  each  year. 

The  eggs  are  of  a  greenish-yellow,  thickly  spotted,  blotched  and 

lined  irregularly  with  brownish-black  of  varying  shades ;  pyriform  in 

shape ;  three  or  four  in  number ;  sizes  from  1.60  to  1.85  long  by  1.15  to 

1.25  broad. 

[227.]    Scolopax  rnsticola    Linn.    [524.] 

European  Woodoook. 

Hab.    Old  World ;  occasional  in  Eastern  North  America. 

The  European  Woodcock  is  widely  distributed  over  the  northern 
parts  of  the  Old  World.  It  is  of  larger  size  than  the  American  bird. 
Many  instances  are  on  record  of  its  breeding  in  various  parts  of 
Great  Britain,  but  the  greater  portion  of  the  birds  are  considered 
migratory.  Breeds  abundantly  in  Norway,  Sweden,  Lapland  and  in 
Northern  Russia.  Nocturnal  in  its  habits,  reposing  in  the  daytime  in 
grassy  bottoms  in  woods,  and  at  twilight  it  regains  activity,  resorting 
to  open  glades  and  marshy  bottoms,  where  it  feeds.  These  tracts  are 
known  as  "  cock-shoots,"  or  "  cock-roads."  The  food  of  the  birds  is 
the  common  earth-worm,  which  they  procure  by  boring,  or  thrusting 
their  bills  into  the  soft  mud.  The  nest  consists  of  a  few  leaves  loosely 
laid  together,  and  without  lining.    The  eggs  are  usually  four  in  num- 

*  Young  Qologist,  Vol.  I,  p.  41. 


NORTH  AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


109 


ber;  of  a  pale  yellowish-white,  blotched  and  spotted  with  various 
shades,  ashy.gray  and  reddish  or  yellowish-brown;  most  numerous 
about  the  larger  end.  Four  eggs  measure  1.75  x  1.27,  1.74  x  1.27,  1.73 
X  1.23,  1.77  X  1.28. 

228.    PJiilohela  minor    (Gmel.)    [525.] 

Amerioaa  Woodoook. 

Hab.  Eastern  Province  of  North  America,  north  to  British  Province,  west  to  Dakota,  Nebraska, 
Kansas,  etc.    Breeds  throughout  its  range. 

This  noted  game  bird  frequents  the  bogs,  swampy  fields,  and  wet 
woodlands  of  Eastern  United  States  and  Canada,  and  breeds  through- 
out its  range.  The  nests  are  mere  depressions  in  some  dry  spot  in 
swampy  land,  generally  under  the  cover  of  a  clump  of  briers  or  other 
wild  shrubbery,  often  in  more  open  places.  The  eggs  of  the  Wood- 
cock are  laid  early  in  April,  and  in  some  localities  not  until  some  time 
in  May.  In  Ohio,  I  have  found  eggs  as  early  as  April  3,  and  young 
have  been  seen  as  early  as  April  9,  near  Cleveland,  Ohio.  There  are 
records  of  eggs  of  this  species  averaging  in  size  1.80x1.25,  but  I  have 
never  seen  any  so  large,  although  they  exhibit  considerable  variations. 
These  sizes  doubtless  refer  to  the  eggs  of  the  European  species.  The 
Woodcock  is  often  called  *'  Bog  Sucker,"  from  its  habit  of  boring  in  the 
mud  for  worms  and  animalculse,  of  which  its  food  consists.  The  eggs 
are  creamy  or  buflf,  irregularly  and  thickly  spotted  with  pale,  reddish- 
brown  of  varying  shades ;  pyriform,  but  more  rotund  than  those  of 
most  of  the  small  waders,  and  some  are  quite  broad,  varying  from  1.40 
to  1.55  long  by  1.15  to  1.20  broad.  The  usual  number  of  eggs  is  four. 
Four  selected  specimens  measure  1.58x1.21,  1.53x1.14,  1.57x1.17, 
and  1.53  X  1.20. 

[229.]    Gallinago  galllnago    (Linn.)    [526.] 

European  Snipe. 

Hab.  Northern  portious  of  the  Old  World ;  frequent  occurrence  in  Greenland.  Accidental  in  the 
Bermudas. 

A  species  of  general  distribution  over  Europe.  In  the  breeding 
season  it  is  found  in  the  more  northern  portions  and  in  the  winter 
months  it  inhabits  the  southern  regions.  A  common  game  bird  on  the 
British  Islands,  breeding  in  greater  or  less  abundance  in  all  parts  of 
England  and  Scotland;  especially  to  the  north  on  the  Orkney  and 
Shetland  Islands.  In  summer  it  is  found  on  the  Faroes,  Iceland, 
and  in  Greenland.  Breeds  in  the  northern  portions  of  Russia  and 
Siberia  and  as  far  south  as  France,  Germany,  Holland  and  Hungary. 
The  nests  of  this  Snipe  are  placed  on  the  ground  in  tall  grass  by  the 
side  of  some  pond  or  shallow  water,  or  amidst  the  long  heather  which 
grows  upon  the  hill-side.  Nests  have  been  found  at  an  elevation  oi 
a  thousand  feet  above  the  plain. 


no 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


1 


The  full  complement  of  eggs  is  four ;  they  have  a  ground-color 
varying  from  yellowish- white  to  greenish-yellow.  The  markings  are 
of  several  shades  of  reddish  or  chestnut-brown,  scattered  chiefly  about 
the  larger  end.  The  eggs  are  pyriform  in  shape  and  quite  pointed  at 
the  smaller  end.  Four  eggs  collected  near  Lancaster,  England,  measure 
1.54x1.14,  1.53x1.08,  1.59x1.15,  1.51XI.10. 

230.    Galllnago  delicata    (Ord.)    [526a.] 

Wilaon'a  Snipe. 

Hab.  Whole  of  North  and  Middle  America,  breeding  from  Northern  United  States  northward;  south 
in  winter  to  West  Indies  and  Northern  South  America. 

The  American  Snipe  is  a  favorite  game  bird,  well  known  by  the 
name  of  Jack  Snipe.  Throughout  the  greater  part  of  the  United 
States  it  occurs  only  during  the  migrations.  Breeds  from  about  lati- 
tude 45°  northward  to  Hudson  Bay  region  on  the  east  and  as  far  west 
and  north  as  Sitka,  Alaska  and  Fort  Anderson. 

The  birds  frequent  low  open  places,  such  as  wet  meadows  and 
marshes,  and  muddy  banks  of  streams. 

They  are  found  in  small  companies  of  from  three  to  twelve,  tech- 
nically called  "  wisps."    Solitary  birds  are  not  unfrequently  met  with. 

No  other  game  birds  are  more  erratic  and  eccentric  than  these. 
They  are  extremely  fickle  in  the  choice  of  their  feeding  ground ;  one 
day  they  may  swarm  in  a  certain  locality,  and  the  next  none  are  to  be 
discovered.  Their  flight  is  strong,  but,  especially  at  the  beginning, 
erratic.  They  almost  invariably  fly  against  the  wind,  and  lie  closest 
on  still,  clear  days.  Occasionally  they  alight  on  trees  or  fences.  Their 
note,  uttered  as  they  rise,  resembles  the  word  '■'■  escape.^'* 

The  nest  is  only  a  slight  depression  in  the  grass  or  moss  of  a  bog. 
The  eggs  vary  from  a  grayish-olive  to  greenish-brown  and  yellowish- 
ash,  spotted  and  blotched  with  reddish-brown,  umber,  and  sometimes 
with  lines  of  black ;  the  markings  are  bold  and  numerous,  particularly 
on  the  larger  end,  usually  also  sharp  scratchy  lines  of  blackish  and 
shell-spots,  hardly  noticeable.  The  shape  of  the  eggs  is  pyriform ; 
three  or  four  in  number;  sizes  range  from  1.50  to  1.60  long  by  1.05  to 
1. 10  broad. 

231.    Macrorhamphus  griseus    (Gmel.)    [527.] 

Do'witohez. 

Hab.     Eastern  North  America,    Breeding  far  northward. 

Known  by  several  names,  such  as  Red-breasted  Snipe,  Gray 
Snipe,  Brown-back,  and  Gray-back ;  these  are  also  applied  to  the 
Long-billed  Dowitcher.  This  bird,  which  greatly  resembles  the  Com- 
mon Snipe  in  structure  and  general  appearance,  differs  from  it  in 
habits,     It  is  described  as  migrating  in  flocks,  often  of  large  size,  and 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


Ill 


le 


as  being  so  unsuspicious  as  to  allow  a  near  approach.  Breeds  in  high 
Arctic  regions,  in  various  places  in  Alaska,  and  is  spoken  of  by  Dr. 
Richardson  as  having  an  extensive  breeding  range  throughout  the  Fur 
Country,  from  the  borders  of  Lake  Superior  to  the  Arctic  Ocean.  In 
the  Arctic  Regions  nests  have  been  taken  between  the  middle  of  June 
and  the  first  part  of  July.  They  were  placed  on  the  marshy  borders  of 
small  lakes  and  ponds,  and  were  made  of  a  few  dry  leaves  and  grasses. 
The  eggs  were  usually  four  in  number.  These  cannot,  with  certainty, 
be  distinguished  from  those  of  Wilson's  Snipe.  They  are  generally 
long,  narrow,  and  pointed  in  shape;  sizes  from  1.62  to  1.75  long  by 
1. 10  to  1. 15  broad. 

232.  Macrorhamphus  scolopaceus    (Say.)    [527a.] 

Long-billed  Dovrltolier. 

Hab.     Mississippi  Valley  and  Western  Ncrth  America  from  Mexico  to  Alaska. 

This  bird,  whose  size  is  larger  and  bill  longer  than  that  of  the 
last,  inhabits  North  America  at  large,  but  is  supposed  to  be  rare  on 
the  Atlantic  coast.  It  is  called  Greater  Long-beak,  Greater  Gray-beak 
and  Red-bellied  Snipe.  Breeds  in  the  far  north ;  is  said  to  be  common 
about  the  mouth  of  the  Yukon  and  islands  along  the  coast  of  Alaska. 
In  the  West  the  birds  gather  in  dense  flocks,  and  they  being  of  a  gentle 
and  confiding  disposition,  and  so  closely  huddled  together,  that  great 
slaughter  may  be  effected  by  the  gunner  if  so  disposed.  Eggs  larger 
and  nesting  same  as  the  last. 

233.  Micropalama  himantopus    (Bonap.)    [528.] 

stilt  Sandpiper. 

Hab.  Eastern  Province  of  North  America,  breeding  north  of  the  United  Stittes;  migrating  south  in 
winter  to  tropical  regions. 

The  Long-legged  Sandpiper,  of  slender  form  and  very  long  legs, 
breeds  north  of  the  United  States,  and  visits  Southern  localities  in 
winter ;  Bermudas,  West  Indies,  Oentral  and  South  America. 

Dr.  Brewer  states  that  Mr.  MacFarlane  found  this  species  breeding 
at  Rendezvous  Lake,  in  the  Arctic  regions,  June  27.  The  nests  were 
similar  to  all  others  of  this  family,  a  mere  depression  in  the  ground, 
with  a  lining  of  a  few  leaves  and  grasses.  The  eggs  are  three  or  four 
in  number,  pyriform  in  shape,  with  a  ground  color  of  light  drab  or 
grayish-white,  with  bold  spots  and  markings  of  chestnut-brown  and 
purplish-gray,  more  numerous  about  the  larger  end ;  in  some  quite 
confluent.     Sizes  vary  from  1.43  to  1.46  long  by  1.04  to  i.io  broad. 

234.    Tringa  canutus    Linn.     [529.] 

Knot. 

Hab.     Nearly  cosmopolitan;  breeding  in  high  northern  latitudes.    Migrates  far  southward. 

This  handsome  species,  so  remarkable  for  its  seasonable  differences 


112 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OP 


V^« 


of  plumage,  is  the  largest  of  the  North  American  Sandpipers.  It  in- 
habits most  parts  of  the  globe ;  in  America  chiefly  coastwise,  and  breeds 
in  high  latitudes.  It  is  migratory,  and  is  also  found  in  the  interior 
about  large  bodies  of  water  and  rivers.  Red-breasted  and  Ash-colored 
Sandpiper  and  Gray-back  are  other  names  for  it. 

An  authentic  egg  of  the  Knot  has  for  many  years  been  the  object 
of  special  and  diligent  search  by  eminent  naturalists  and  explorers 
traveling  in  Arctic  regions  where  this  bird  is  known  to  live  during  the 
season  of  reproduction. 

Lieut.  A.  W.  Greely,  U.  S.  A. ,  Commander  of  the  late  Expedition 
to  Lady  Franklin  Sound,  succeeded  in  obtaining  the  lo  ig-sought-for 
^SS  of  the  Knot.  C.  H.  Merriam  publishes  the  fir^t  account  of  it, 
written  by  Lieut.  Greely,  as  follows:  "The  specimen  of  bird  and  egg 
were  obtained  in  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Conger,  latitude  of  8i°  44^  N. 
The  egg  was  i.io  inch  [28  mm.]  in  the  longer  axis,  and  i  inch 
[25.40  mm.]  in  the  shorter.  Color,  light  pea  green,  closely  spotted 
with  brown  in  small  specks  about  the  size  of  a  pin-head."  * 

235.    Tringa  maritima    Brunn.    [530.] 

Purple  Sandpiper. 

Hab.  Northern  portions  of  Northern  Hemisphere;  in  North  America,  chiefly  the  northeastern  por- 
tions, migrating  south  in  winter  to  Eastern  and  Middle  States.     Mississippi  Valley. 

The  purple  Sandpiper  is  found  in  the  high  Arctic  regions  of  Amer- 
ica and  Europe.  Said  to  be  a  resident  of  the  Aleutian  Islands.  Breeds 
in  the  Faroe  Islands,  Iceland,  and  in  Greenland,  where  some  remain  in 
the  fiords  of  the  southern  portion  all  winter. 

Dr.  Richardson  states  that  it  breeds  abundantly  on  Melville  Penin- 
sula and  on  the  shores  of  Hudson  Bay.  The  nest  is  a  mere  depres- 
sion in  the  soil  with  a  scant  lining  of  dry  grass. 

The  eggs  are  clay  color,  shaded  with  olivaceous,  with  large  and 
distinct  markings  of  rich  umber-brown  of  different  depths  of  intensity 
all  over  the  shell,  but  most  numerous  as  well  as  largest  on  the  greater 
half;  pyriform;  the  eggs  are  usually  four  in  number,  and  measure 
about  1.40  by  i.oo. 

238.    Tringa  cones!    (Ridgw.)    [531.] 

Aleutian   Ssndpipert 

Hab.    Coasts  and  islands  of  Bering  Sea,  north  to  St.  Michael's. 

Closely  allied  to  the  last  species,  and  the  birds  are  hardly  distin- 
guishable in  their  respective  winter  plumages.  It  is  common  in  the 
Aleutian  and  other  islands,  and  also  along  the  coasts  of  Bering  Sea  as 
far  west  as  the  Commander  Islands.  Dr.  Stejneger  records  it  as  a  resi- 
dent of  the  latter  group,  found  there  during  both  summer  and  winter. 

^A^.  Vol.  II.,  p.  818. 


'^•w^-^^^^m*,- 


t  in- 
reeds 
erior 
lored 

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arers 
J  the 

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t-for 
fit, 

egg 

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n  por- 

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Ce/iyrigkt  iSS6. 


F>LAtE   IV 


WOOD  DUCKS  AND   NESTING  PI,ACE. 
{Aix  tfotua.) 


Page  67. 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


113 


The  first  eggs  are  laid  about  the  middle  of  May.  These  are  described 
as  pale  olive-bufF,  varying  to  light  browuish-buflF,  spotted  and  blotched 
with  vandyke-brown  or  deep  umber;  size  1.46 x  i.oo. 

237.    Trin^a  ptilocnemis    Coues.     [532.I 

Prybilof  Sandpiper. 

I!.\Ii.     Prybilof  IslaniU,  Ilcring  Sen. 

The  Black-breasted  Sandpiper,  as  it  is  called,  is  confined  to  the 
Prybilof  group  and  several  other  islands  of  Bering  Sea ;  but  does  not 
visit  the  Commander  Islands.  It  is  said  to  be  the  only  wader  that 
breeds  on  the  Prybilof  Islands.  In  May  it  nests  on  the  dry  uplands 
and  mossy  hummocks,  placing  its  nest  in  bunches  of  moss,  in  which 
four  pyriform  eggs  are  laid. 

The  eggs  are  described  as  light  brownish-bufF,  heavily  spotted  with 
rich  chestnut-brown,  clouded  with  purplish-gray.    Average  size  1.50  .\ 

1.07. 

239.  TrinRa  maculata    Vieill.    [534] 

P«otoral    Sandpiper. 

Hub.  North,  Central  and  South  America;  breeding  in  the  Arctic  regions,  Ot°  freciuent  occurienca 
in  Europe. 

During  the  migrations  the  Pectoral  Sandpiper  is  very  abundant, 
both  on  the  sea  coast  and  in  the  intcior.  It  frequents  the  borders  of 
ponds,  the  shores  of  lakes  and  rivers,  and  is  found  commonly  in  the 
vicinity  of  wet  cornfields  and  meadows.  It  is  only  of  recent  date  that 
we  have  obtained  any  positive  information  regarding  this  bird's  breed- 
ing places.  Mr.  E.  W.  Nelson  found  it  to  be  extremely  common  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Yukon  River,  where  the  low  grassy  flats  afford  it  a 
much  frequented  breeding  ground.  Arriving  on  the  shores  of  Bering 
Sea,  near  St.  Michael's,  from  the  15th  to  the  25th  of  May,  the  birds 
linger  about  a  short  time ;  they  then  pair  and  seek  nesting  places, 
which  are  usually  in  tufts  of  grass. 

The  eggs  are  of  a  pale  grayish-buff",  varying  to  pale  olive-green, 
boldly  blotched  and  spotted  with  rich  vandyke-brown  and  purplish 
gray ;  a^'erage  size,  1.44x1.02. 

240.  Tringa  fuscicollls   Vieill.     [536.] 

'Whlte^rnmped  Sandpiper. 

Hiib.  Eastern  North  America;  breeds  far  North.  In  winter  migrating  through  the  United  States, 
the  West  Indies,  Central  and  South  America  and  Falldand  Islands.     Occasional  in  Europe. 

Bonaparte's  Sandpiper  during  the  breeding  season  is  found  in  the 
Arctic  regions.  It  is  a  species  of  wide  distribution  in  the  migrations, 
wandering  into  tropical  regions. 

The  bird  is  said  to  breed  in  suitable  places  on  the  shores  of  Cumber- 
land Sound.  Dr.  Brewer  states  that  Mr.  MacFarlane  met  its  nests  and 
eggs  on  or  near  the  Arctic  coast ;  one  taken  July  3  contained  four  eggs 
9 


114 


NESTS  AND   EGGS  OF 


with  large  embryos ;  another  found  the  day  following  contained  three 
eggs.  A  third,  obtained  June  29  on  the  Barren  Lands,  was  a  mere  de- 
pression in  the  ground,  lined  with  a  few  decayed  leaves  and  contained 
four  eggs  with  very  large  embryos.  A  fourth  found  on  the  banks  of  a 
small  river,  of  similar  construction,  held  four  eggs. 

The  eggs  are  pyriform  in  shape,  of  light  olive  or  olive-brown,  spot- 
ted with  bold  and  sometimes  rather  fine  markings  of  deep  chestnut- 
brown,  almost  into  blackness,  chiefly  about  the  larger  end  in  confluent 
groups.     Average  size,  1.37 X. 94. 

241.    TriDga  balrdii    (Coues.)    [537.] 

Balrd'a  Sandpipar. 

Hnb.  North  America,  chiefly  the  interior.  Rare  on  the  Atlantic  Coast;  wintering  in  Mexico,  Cen- 
tral and  South  America. 

Baird's  Sandpiper  is  distributed  throughout  North  America  gener- 
ally, but  is  said  not  yet  to  have  been  observed  west  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains.  It  is  found  chiefly  in  the  interior.  Known  to  breed  in  the 
Arctic  regions ;  winters  south  of  United  States. 

This  bird  was  entirely  unknown  to  ornithologists  until  within  the 

last  thirty-five  years ;  when  discovered  and  for  sometime   after  was 

confounded  with  other  species.     Dr.  Coues  first  gave  it  rank  and  name 

in  1861.     It  breeds  in  the  Arctic  regions  —  on  the  Barren  Lands;  nests 

in  the  Ir.tter  part  of  June,  usually  within  the  vicinity  of  lakes  and 

small  ponds.     The  nest  is  made  of  a  few  dry  leaves  and  grasses  in 

a  small  depression,  shaded  by  a  tuft  of  grass.     The  eggs  are  usually 

four  in  number ;  buff  or  clay-colored,  spotted  and  blotched  with  varying 

shades  of  chestnut-brown ;  in  most  instances  the  markings  are  fine  and 

innumerable,  of  indefinite  size,  irregular  in  shape  and  thickness  at  the 

greater  end,  where  they  are  occasionally  massed  in  blotches ;  size  about 

1.30X.90 

242.    Tringa  minutlUa    Vieill.    [538.] 

Least  Sandpiper. 

Hab.     Whole  of  North  America;  breeding  north  of  the  United  States. 

The  smallest  of  the  Sandpipers,  measuring  five  and  a  half  or  six 
inches  in  length.  It  has  the  same  habits  as  characterize  its  Semi- 
palmated  cousins,  frequenting  the  same  localities,  and  flocks  of  birds 
are  often  composed  of  both  species.  Wlien  this  is  the  case  the  Semi- 
palmated  Sandpipers  even  if  largely  in  the  minority,  take  the  lead,  as 
their  somewhat  larger  size,  stronger  flight  and  louder  note  fit  them  for 
so  doing. 

When  not  in  company  with  other  species  none  of  our  shore  birds 
are  more  confiding  and  unsuspecting  than  these,  large  flocks  con- 
tinuing their  search  for  food  almost  under  the  feet  of  the  observer. 


NORTH  AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


Ubrad„^t:";4rdt';;_^-d^^  Ncwf„„„a,a„d  Id 

.  '875,  one  was  found  bii,IH;„     ■/        "«'°>'S,  and  in  Alast=      r 
Nests  in  the  Aictt  „  ".''''"8  "^  ""t  in  the  vicinitv  ,f  r^   ^"""^  «■ 

.■i'he  eggs  are  nsra'lwo^j'f""?'  «  "- vicinity  otkL ''";"  *f 
'a»er  part  of  May  l'^ J„"„e    Th:  V"  "'^-^  »' ^-^d  "et'JeeTtt 

S  "'•     ■'"«  average  size  is  i.ijx  85      ™""'  °™»'n  spots 
124SJ    TrlBg.  .,pi„.    Lm»,    [53, , 

The  pZr'T '"  -- —i  °°^- 

of  the  Old  World     Bv°f'"!J'  ™"'''^  "^'^'ribntion  i„  the  norti, 

S  ."f^  '=^-">'  ^i'nh  n^^^^^^^  °^  '^^  B'^^'Tn^^! 

Sa  d  .^  re'sZth'"'™^  ^"   '"-"ashorerrrr  "■'  '"''""  "' 

2«»-    IV'W  alpina  paclte    (Co„.s, 
i^  the  AmericanD  ;:;?'"  r""'".-:..— .,.. 


Hab. 


[539a.J 


. .  ™-=theAm;s'-Dn:r;;r'tr  ^"— ■ 

.t.s  larger  and  brighter  colored  thafr''"/:"""  ^^""P'P".  <"  O.  bird  • 

out  the  whole  of  North  Am.  '  "'^'""^     Distributed  tt,,       t' 

^rating  in  „;„,„  .^  Un"  "d^St^'  ''"'^^  '"  '■>'  Arct'i   ^'g  onTS" 

Breeds  in  various  place   ^„  %fl',  '^^ally  coastwise.  ^       '  ""• 

the  Yukon  and  i«  fi,       ,  ^^^  Alaskan  coast      o*  «.i- 

found  breedW  on  thfr"^''"°''^°«onsrund       tt:  T?  °^ 

P-iusu,a,  the  fhoTes  «;  0:^^"^  1  ^"^  A-"'    ,0"  tetiu! 

The  nest  is  built  in  the™  it  "If  fj"  S^'Oem  GrUnln^  "" 

^  -.-  Hollow  With  -ei;r  d^^-ats-^:r:^,^ 


116 


NESTS  AND   EGGS   OF 


into  it.    The  eggs,  four  in  number,  of  a  dull  brownish-buff  or  clay 
color,  spotted,  blotched  and  stained  with  chestnut,  principally  about 
•  the  larger  end ;  their  average  size  is  1.43  x  i.oi. 

244.    Tringa  ferruginea    Brunn.     [540.] 

Cnrlemr  Sandpiper. 

Hab.    Old  World  in  general,  occasional  in  Eastern  North  America  and  in  Alaska. 

A  bird  with  a  bill  resembling  that  of  the  Curlews  —  long,  slender, 
compressed  and  considerably  decurved.  The  length  of  the  bird  is 
about  eight  and  a  half  inches.  It  is  said  to  be  one  of  the  rarest  of  the 
Sandpipers  which  visit  North  America.  A  common  species  in  Siberia, 
where  it  breeds.  Said  to  breed  in  Holland,  Denmark  and  northward 
into  Norway,  Sweden,  and  in  Finland.  In  England  it  is  nowhere 
abundant  and  does  not  assemble  in  large  flocks  like  the  Dunlin  or 
J'urre.  A  few  pairs  are  believed  to  breed  in  Great  Britain.  Known  to 
breed  in  various  portions  of  Greenland  —  nesting  near  the  margins  of 
lakes  and  rivers  where  the  eggs  are  deposited  in  a  slight  hollow  of  the 
ground,  lined  with  bits  of  grass.  The  eggs  are  four  in  number,  pyri- 
form  in  shape,  pale  grayish  or  greenish-bufif,  spotted  and  blotched  with 
chestnut-brown.  They  are  hardly  distinguishable  from  those  of  the  Pec- 
toral or  Red-backed  Sandpiper's  eggs;  size  1.50x1.04. 

246.    Ereunetes  pusillus    (Linn.)    [541] 

Semipalmated  Sandpiper. 

Hab     Northe  n  and  Eastern  North  America;  west  during  the  migrations  to  Rocky  Mountains. 

This  little  "  Peep "  is  found  everywhere  in  North  i^merica.  In 
the  summer  it  is  distributed  from  Labrador  and  western  shores  of  Hud  - 
son  Bay  northward,  this  being  its  breeding  grounds.  In  spring  and 
fall  it  is  an  abundant  migrant  in  United  States,  thronging  the  beaches, 
the  gravelly  and  sandy  shores  of  streams  and  muddy  banks  of  ponds, 
in  company  with  the  Spotted  Sandpiper  and  others,  with  which  it  is 
usually  confounded.  It  winters  from  the  Carolii.as  southward.  It  has 
the  same  Hweet^  Hweet  as  the  Spotted  Sandpiper,  and  utters  it  frequent- 
ly, both  on  the  shore  and  when  flying.  The  Semipalmated  Sandpiper 
arrives  in  the  Saskatchewan  River  country  about  the  middle  of  May, 
where  it  deposits  its  eggs  early  in  June  on  a  fev.'  pieces  of  withered 
grass  in  a  slight  hollow  in  the  ground.  These  are  three  or  four  in  num- 
ber, and  measure  from  1.20  to  1.25  long  by  .82  to  .85  broad.  In  a  large 
series  the  usual  variations  in  color  are  noticeable ;  the  ground  color 
varying  from  clay  to  grayish  or  greenish-drab  or  positive  olive  tint ; 
usually  boldly  spotted  and  splashed  with  umber  or  chestnut-brown ; 
thickest  about  the  largest  end ;  and  again,  in  some,  very  fine  dots  are 
distributed  over  the  entire  surface. 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


117 


247.    Ereunetes  occidentalis    Lawr.    [5410.] 

'Westem  Sandpiper. 

Hab.  Western  North  America;  occasionally  eastward  to  the  Atlantic  coast;  breeding  far  north. 
Migrating  in  winter  to  Central  and  South  America. 

Very  much  like  the  last  species  and  there  is  essentially  no  differ- 
ence in  its  general  habits,  nesting,  eggs  and  other  peculiarities. 

Abundant  "  "•  Alaska,  breeding  along  the  Yukon  and  the  shores  and 
islands  of  N<  •  ^on  Sound.  Nests  commonly  on  the  Island  of  St. 
Michael's,  depositing  four  eggs  in  nests  which  are  mere  hollows  in  the 
ground  with  a  few  blades  of  grass  for  lining.  In  June  and  July  it  is 
said  to  breed  abundantly  on  the  islands  in  the  bays  along  the  Arctic 
co3st  and  also  in  the  Barren  L<ands.  The  eggs  are  said  to  exhibit  as 
great  variation  as  those  of  E.  piisillus. 

248.    Calidris  arenaria    (Linn.)    [542.] 

Sanderliug. 

Hab.     Nearly  cosmopolitan,  breeding  in  high  Arctic  regions. 

The  Sanderling,  Ruddy  "  Plover  "  or  "  Beach  Bird,"  is  a  species 
of  wide  distribution.  During  the  breeding  season  it  is  distributed 
through  the  northern  regions  of  Europe,  Asia  and  North  America. 
It  inhabits,  however,  the  entire  continent  of  North  America,  wander- 
ing in  its  migrations  through  the  United  States,  and  in  winter  to  the 
West  Indies,  Mexico,  Central  and  South  America.  Its  nests  and  eggs 
have  been  taken  in  Grinnell  Land,  and  it  is  said  to  breed  on  islands 
about  the  coast  of  Greenland  and  on  the  shores  and  islands  of  Hud- 
son Bay.  Dr.  Brewer  states  that  Mr.  MacFarlane,  on  June  29,  dis- 
covered a  nest  with  four  eggs  on  the  Barren  Lands,  near  the  Arctic 
coast.  The  eggs  at  this  date  were  quite  fresh.  The  nest  is  said  to 
have  been  made  of  hay  and  decayed  leaves.  The  eggs  are  ashy  or 
greenish-brown,  spotted  and  blotched  with  brown  of  dififerent  shades, 
pyriform  in  shape;  two  to  four  in  number,  and  measure  1.41  by  .91. 

249.     Limosa  fedoa    (Linn.)    [543] 

Marbled  Godwit. 

Hab.  North  America  in  gener.il.  IJreeds  in  the  Missouri  and  Upper  Mississippi  regions,  thence  to 
the  Saskatchewan.    Winters  in  the  Southern  States  and  southward. 

The  Great  Marbled  Godwit,  or  Marlin,  inhabits  the  entire  temper- 
ate North  America,  and  it  is  a  common  bird  during  the  migrations 
and  in  winter.  It  breeds  chiefly  in  the  Mississippi  and  Eastern  Mis- 
souri regions,  in  Iowa,  Minnesota  and  Dakota,  thence  to  the  Saskatch- 
ewan ;  known  to  breed  in  Northern  Ohio,  in  Wisconsin,  Iowa,  Minne- 
sota, Kansas  and  Nebraska.  This  is  the  largest  of  the  '*  Bay  birds," 
except  the  Long-billed  Curlew,  and  can  readily  be  distinguished,  its 
bill  being  either  straight  or  bent  a  little  upward,  and  not  decurved, 
like  the  Curlew's.      It    frequents    muddy  pools,  sandy  shores  and 


118 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


I 


marshes,  usually  in  flocks  of  greater  or  less  extent.  The  bird  is  held 
in  high  esteem  for  the  table,  and  they  are  eagerly  hunted  by  the  gun- 
ners when  flocks  of  ten  or  a  dozen  birds  appear  on  the  marshes.  The 
sportsmen  call  them  "  Dough  "  or  "  Doe  "  birds.  The  eggs  are  creamy- 
buff"  or  light  oliveaceous-drab  spotted  and  blotched,  rather  sparsely, 
■with  yellowish  and  umber-brown  of  varying  shades,  long  oval ;  size 
about  2.27  by  1.60 ;  three  or  four  in  number,  and  they  are  deposited  in 
a  slight  depression  of  the  ground,  lined  with  a  few  bits  of  grasses. 
The  nests  are  placed  in  the  vicinity  of  a  pool  or  river,  but  not  always 
near  the  water's  edge. 

250.    Limosa  lapponlca  baueri    (Naum.)    [544,] 

Paoifio  Godwlt. 

Hab.  Coasts  of  Eastern  Asia  and  across  to  Alaska,  south  in  winter  to  New  Zealand  and  Australia; 
casual  to  Lower  California. 

In  the  winter  months  the  Pacific  Godwit  is  found  in  many  of  the 
islands  of  the  Pacific  Ocean  —  the  Polynesian  Islands  and  Australia. 
At  this  season  it  is  also  found  on  the  Eastern  and  Southern  coasts 
of  Asia  and  Japan.  On  the  American  coast  it  is  a  summer  resident  in 
Alaska,  and  south  of  this  point  it  is  recorded  only  from  Lower  Califor- 
nia. An  abundant  species  at  the  mouth  of  the  Yukon  and  on  the 
marshes  of  Pastolik,  which  are  farther  north.  The  nests  are  built  in 
tussocks  of  grass,  lined  with  the  same  material.  The  eggs  are  said  to 
be  only  two  in  number,  of  light  olive  drab,  spotted  with  irregularly 
formed  spots  of  umber  of  varying  shades,  similar  to  those  of  the 
Marbled  Godwit;  size,  2.25x1.45. 

251.    Limosa  hsemastica    (Linn.)    [545] 

Hndsonian  Oodwit. 

Hab.     Northern  North  America.     Not  recorded  west  of  Rocky  Mountains  only  in  Alaska. 

The  Hudsonian  Godwit,  though  not  common  anywhere  in  the 
United  States,  is  distributed  throughout  North  Ameiica  generally,  but 
has  not  been  observed  west  of  \  he  Rocky  Mountains.  It  passes  the 
winter  South  of  the  United  Stales,  and  breeds  in  the  most  northern 
sections  of  the  country.  Breeds  abundantly  on  the  Barren  Lands  of 
the  Arctic  Ocean.  In  the  Lower  Anderson  river  region  it  nests  in  the 
first  part  of  June,  depositing  its  eggs  in  a  slight  depression  of  the 
ground  lined  with  a  few  leaves  and  grasses.  It  associates  with  L. 
feeda^  and  has  the  same  habits  and  characteristics.  Called  by  the 
gunners  the  '*  Smaller  Doe-bird."  American  Black-tailed  Godwit  and 
Ring-tailed  Marlin  are  its  other  names. 

The  eggs  of  this  species  are  heavily  shaded  olive-drab  or  **  hair 
brown"  almost  as  dark  as  a  Loon's  egg,  sometimes  lighter;  obscurely 


NORTH  AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


119 


spotted  and  blotched  with  dark  brown ;  usually  four  in  number ;  size 

2.20x1.42. 

[252.]    Limosa  limosa     (Linn.)    [546.] 

Blaok-tailed  Oodwit. 

Hab.     Northern  portion  of  the  Old  World;  accidental  in  Greenland. 

At  different  seasons  of  the  year  the  Black-tailed  Godwit  has  been 
observed  in  nearly  every  portion  of  Europe,  Asia  and  Africa.  It  is 
only  an  occasional  visitant  of  Greenland  which  gives  it  a  place  in  the 
fauna  of  North  America.  Considerd  migratory  in  Great  Britain,  and 
a  few  are  known  to  breed  there  in  the  various  marshes.  In  the  sum- 
mer months,  however,  this  Godwit  is  found  in  various  parts  of  Den- 
mark and  throughout  Scandinavia,  especially  in  Finland  and  up  into 
lyapland. 

Known  to  nest  in  France,  and  is  supposed  to  breed  sparingly  in 
Switzerland.  In  Scotland  and  other  portions  of  the  British  Islands  this 
species  deposits  its  eggs  early  in  May.  This  bird  is  known  as  Com- 
mon Godwit,  Godwyn,  Yarwhelp,  or  Yarwhit,  Jadreka  Snipe,  and 
Shrieker.  The  nesting  is  like  that  of  all  the  Waders  so  far  as  known 
—  simply  a  hollow  in  wet  meadows  or  in  dry  parts  of  swamps,  midst 
grass  or  weeds.  The  eggs  are  usually  four  in  number  ;  they  are  of  a 
deep  grayish-olive  or  even  a  deep  green,  faintly  spotted  with  olive- 
brown  of  different  shades.     Size  2.17  x  1.50. 

1253.]    Totanus  nebularius    (Gunn).    [547.] 

Qreen-sliank. 

Hab.    Old  World;  accidental  in  Florida. 

Audubon  took  three  specimens  of  the  Green-shank  on  Sand  Key, 
Florida,  near  Cape  Sable,  May  28,  1832.  This  is  the  only  record  of  its 
appearance  in  North  America.  An  abundant  bird  in  the  British  Islands, 
many  remain  to  breed,  especially  in  Scotland,  and  on  the  islands  about 
th^^  coast.  Breeds  in  Norway  and  Sweden,  in  Finland  and  in  Lap- 
land as  far  north  as  the  Arctic  Circle.  The  nest  is  often  placed  some 
disf.ance  from  water,  usually  in  a  tuft  of  grass  with  a  slight  lining. 
Tre  eggs  are  four  in  number  and  vary  from  yellowish  to  brownish-buff, 
sprinkled  and  spotted  all  over,  with  irregular  spots  of  dark  brown,  vary- 
ing in  intensity  of  shade.  The  eggs  are  generally  pear-shaped.  The 
average  size  of  ten  specimens  is  1.98  x  1.40. 

254.    Totanus  melanoleucus    (Gmel.)    [548.] 

Greater  Yelloiir-leBs. 

Hab.     Nearly  all  of  North  America;  breeding  ia  the  more  northern  portions. 

The  Greater  Yellow-legs,  or  Tell-tale,  is  found  in  North  America 
at  large.  It  is  said  to  breed  in  the  large  marshes  of  Wisconsin,  in 
Iowa,  and  in  Northern  Illinois ;  doubtless  a  few  breed  in  suitable  places 


i 


i'l 


120 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


in  California.  The  Greater  Tell-tale  winters  from  the  Carolinas  south- 
ward ;  is  abundant  during  the  migrations,  and  is  well  known  to  the 
gunners.  In  the  Eastern  States  it  appears  to  be  much  more  wary 
than  in  Ohio,  and  is  said  to  give  warning  to  ducks  and  other  game 
birds  on  the  approach  of  the  gunner.  About  four  rapidly  repeated, 
loud  and  shrill  whistling  notes  are  uttered,  which  is  a  signal  to  the 
rest  of  his  feathered  neighbors,  when  the  whole  take  wing,  often  to 
the  disappointment  of  the  fowler.  From  this  habit  it  derives  the 
name  of  Tell-tale,  and  it  is  also  known  as  Stone  "  Snipe,"  Greater 
Yellow-shanks,  and  Long-legged  Tattler.  The  stately  form  of  this 
bird  may  be  seen  moving  along  the  gravelly  banks  of  streams,  wading 
in  pools  or  the  shallow  margins  of  rivers  and  lagoons,  feeding  upon 
small  fishes,  crustaceans,  etc.  It  is  generally  found  in  pairs,  less  often 
in  small  flocks,  and  its  association  with  other  Sandpipers  is  merely 
accidental.  The  eggs  are  grayish-white,  marked  with  spots  of  dark 
brown,  varying  in  intensity  of  shade,  together  with  obscure  shell- 
markings  of  lilac.  The  markings  are  over  the  entire  surface,  but 
more  numerous   at  the  larger  end ;  three  or  four  in  number ;   size 

1.43x1.20. 

255.    Totanus  flavipes    (Gmel.)     [549] 

«  .-     xr     V  .  Yellow-legB. 

Hab.     North  America. 

The  common  Yellow-legs,  or  Lesser  Tell-tale,  is  found  throughout 
North  America.  It  breeds  from  Northern  United  States  northward, 
extending  its  migrations  to  the  Arctic  regions.  It  winters  in  the 
Southern  States  and  southward.  In  some  localities  during  the  migra- 
tions it  is  more  abundant  than  the  Greater  Tattler,  and  its  general 
habits  and  characteristics  are  the  same ;  its  cries  are  clearer  and  not 
so  loud.  It  is  fond  of  wading  about  in  pools  of  water  seeking  food, 
which  consists  of  larvae  of  insects  and  small  crustaceans. 

The  Lesser  Yellow-shanks  is  known  to  breed  in  Alaska,  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Porcupine  River,  which  empties  into  the  Yukon.  It 
doubtless  breeds  in  all  the  region  between  Fort  Selkirk  and  Fort 
Yukon.  It  has  been  found  nesting  in  the  neighborhood  of  Great  Slave 
Lake,  and  abundantly  in  the  Mac  Farlane  and  Anderson  River  regions. 
At  the  latter  place  eggs  were  found  as  early  as  the  first  part  of  June, 
The  nests  were  mere  depressions  in  the  ground,  without  any  lining; 
sometimes  they  were  placed  at  the  foot  of  a  bush,  with  a  scanty  lining 
of  withered  leaves.  The  eggs  were  usually  four.  The  bird  is  reported 
as  doubtless  breeding  in  Illinois  and  other  regions  farther  south  than 
those  just  mentioned.  There  is  no  doubt  that  a  few  of  the  Lesser 
Yellow-legs  breed  in  Central  Ohio.     In  referring  to  my  notes  I  find 


NORTH  AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


121 


that  a  sportsman  brought  me  a  male  bird  on  the  28th  of  June,  1886. 
This  season  (June  14,  1888)  Mr.  Robert  Hedden  shot  a  specimen, 
which  proved  to  be  a  female,  the  skin  of  which  is  now  in  my  cabinet. 
From  this  bird  I  took  a  well-formed  egg,  and  the  ovaries  contained 
several  others  in  different  stages  of  development.  The  breast  of 
this  specimen  was  quite  bare  of  feathers,  indicating  that  it  was 
engaged  in  the  duties  of  incubation.  The  bird  was  sitting  on  the  top 
rail  of  a  fence  when  killed,  and  no  others  were  noticed  in  the  vicinity. 
The  eggs  of  the  Yellow-legs  are  of  a  light  drab,  or  even  vary  to  clay, 
buffy  or  cream  color,  sometimes  light  brown ;  the  markings  are  bold 
and  heavy,  with  great  diversity  of  heavily  splashed  blotches  of  choco- 
late, umber-brown  and  blackish,  these  being  chiefly  at  the  larger  end, 
and  sometimes  confluent.  Paler  shell-markings  are  also  numerous 
and  noticeable ;  pointedly  pyriform  in  shape ;  three  or  four  in  number ; 
sizes  range  from  1.58  to  1.78  long  by  about  1.16  broad. 

256.    Tetanus  solitarius    (Wils.)    [550.] 

Solitary  Sandpiper- 

Hab.  North  America,  breeding  in  Northern  United  States,  northward;  migrating  southward  to 
Northern  South  America. 

The  Solitary  Tattler,  or  the  American  Green  Sandpiper  is  found 
throughout  the  entire  North  America;  breeds  in  Northern  United 
States  and  northward,  and  probably  throughout  most  of  its  United 
States  range.  Winters  chiefly  in  Mexico,  Central  and  South  America 
and  in  the  West  Indies,  It  has  the  same  characteristic  habits  of  the 
Green  Sandpiper  of  Europe — always  seen  near  water,  during  the  mi- 
grations, on  the  borders  o:  lakes,  ponds  and  rivers,  or  seeking  its  food, 
which  consists  chiefly  of  worms  in  the  soft  loamy  soil  of  marshes. 
The  Solitary  Sandpiper  is  well  named,  when  its  personal  habits  or  the 
localities  which  it  frequents  are  considered.  It  is  found,  except  dur- 
ing and  shortly  after  the  breeding  season,  about  small  ponds  in  woods, 
remote  shaded  ditches  or  small  brooks,  just  such  localities  as  are  fre- 
quented by  the  Water  Thrush,  and  its  alarm  note  is  very  similar  to 
that  species,  but  is  shriller  and  louder  and  is  sounded  while  on  the  wing 
in  its  rapid  flight.  Although  common,  the  eggs  of  this  species  have 
been  until  a  comparatively  recent  date  of  special  desideratum,  and 
only  a  few  specimens  are  as  yet  to  be  found  in  the  numerous  collec- 
tions. In  the  last  edition  of  this  work  I  mentioned  an  egg  supposed  to 
belong  to  this  species,  which  I  took  in  an  open  field  bordering  the  Sci- 
oto River,  near  Columbus,  Ohio,  in  the  latter  part  of  May,  1877.  This 
specimen  was  first  described  by  the  late  Dr.  J.  M.  Wheaton.*     The  egg 

<'Iu  his  Report  on  the  Birds  of  Ohio.  Vol.  IV.,  Ohio  Geological  Survey,  entitled  Zoology  and  Botany, 
p.  486. 


/ 


w 


k.      / 


122 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


was  of  a  pointed  oval  shape,  and  not  nearly  so  pyriform  as  are  the  eggs 
of  most  of  this  family,  size  1.25  by  .88,  smaller  than  the  eggs  of  the 
Spotted  Sandpiper.  The  ground  was  clay-color  with  a  reddish  tinge, 
thickly  marked  with  reddish  and  blackish -brown.  The  nest  was  on 
the  ground  in  as  exposed  a  locality  as  is  ever  frequented  by  this  bird. 
It  contained  two  eggs,  both  far  advanced  in  incubation,  only  one  of 
which  was  preserved.  In  Jones'  magnificent  work*  this  egg  is  ac- 
curately figured. 

From  comparisons  made  at  the  time  this  specimen  could  not  be 
referred  to  any  other  species  than  that  of  the  Solitary  Sandpiper. 

Dr.  Brewer  describes  an  egg,  taken  May  28,  1878,  by  Mr.  Jenness 
Richardson,  near  Lake  Bombazine,  Vermont.  It  measures  1.32 x. 90. 
The  ground  color  is  of  a  light  drab,  similar  to  that  of  Aigialitis 
meloda ;  over  the  surface  are  scattered  small  rounded  markings  of 
brown,  some  of  these  are  quite  dark,  nowhere  confluent,  and  not  large 
enough  to  be  called  blotches.  Its  shape  was  elongated  pyriform.  Mr. 
Capen,  in  his  finely  illustrated  work,!  gives  a  faithful  colored  illus- 
tration of  this  specimen.  The  female  parent  of  this  egg  was  shot  as 
she  left  the  nest. 

[257.]    Totanus  ochropus    (Linn.)    [551.] 

Green  Sandpiper 

Hab.     Northern  portions  of  the  Old  World.     Accidental  in  Nova  Scotia. 

If  we  may  regard  the  authority  of  the  older  ornithologists,  Rich- 
ardson and  Nuttall,  this  bird  obtained  from  them  recognition  as  a 
straggler  to  North  America.  Its  claim  to  our  fauna,  however,  has 
been  restored  by  the  capture  of  a  single  specimen,  said  to  have  been 
taken  in  Nova  Scotia,  which  was  in  the  possession  of  J.  Edmund  Hart- 
ing,  Esq.  The  bird  is  very  similar  to  our  Solitary  Tattler  and  aver- 
ages slightly  larger.  It  is  very  generally  distributed  through  Europe 
and  in  some  places  esteemed  a  great  delicacy  for  the  table.  Said  to 
breed  in  all  the  northern  portions  of  Asia.  In  England  it  is  consid- 
ered an  abundant  bird  in  spring  and  fall  and  a  number  of  pairs  remain 
to  breed.     Known  also  as  the  Whistling  Sandpiper. 

It  frequents  the  shores  of  the  sea  and  inland  lakes,  the  banks  of 
shallow  streams  and  the  borders  of  ponds  and  marshes.  Breeds  in 
various  parts  of  Northwestern  Germany  and  is  known  to  nest  in  South- 
eastern France.  The  Green  Sandpiper  is  said  to  be  very  peculiar  in  its 
mode  of  nesting — depositing  its  eggs  in  old  nests  situated  in  trees 
and  is  not  known  ever  to  nest  on  the  ground.     The  nests  usually  oc- 

'^'lUustrations  of  the  Nests  and  Eggs  of  Birds  of  Ohio.  Illustrations  by  Mrs.  N.  E.  Jones:  Text  by 
Howard  Jones,  A.  M.,  M.  D.,  Circleville,  Ohio,  1886. 

tOology  of  New  England:    Plate  xix.     Fig.  6. 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


123 


cupied  are  those  of  pigeons,  jays,  shrikes  and  other  birds,  but  most 
commonly  those  of  the  Thrushes.  These  are  said  to  be  situated  from 
three  to  six  feet  and  as  high  as  thirty-five  feet  from  the  ground.  The 
eggs  are  four  in  number ;  greenish-white  or  delicate  grayish  sea-green, 
sparsely  marked  with  spots,  blotches,  and  markings  of  dark-brown, 
chiefly'  at  the  larger  end ;  average  size  1.52  x  1.12. 

258.    Symphemia  semipalmata    (Gmel.)    [552.] 

WiUet. 

Hab.     Temperate  North  America,  louth  to  Brazil  and  the  West  Indies. 

The  Willet  is  the  largest  of  the  American  family  Scolopacidse,  ex- 
cept the  genera  Limosa  and  Numenius.  One  of  the  most  extensively 
distributed  of  all  of  our  North  American  birds,  being  found  in  the 
marshy  regions  of  the  interior ;  along  the  Atlantic  coast  from  Nova 
Scotia  to  Florida ;  throughout  Central  America  and  into  a  large  portion 
of  South  America.  It  is  also  abundant  along  the  Pacific  coast.  Breeds 
throughout  its  United  States  range  and  wherever  found  in  Southern 
districts.  Nests  commonly  on  Cobb's  Island,  Va.,  effectually  conceal- 
ing the  eggs  in  the  tall  grass  on  the  higher  parts  of  the  Island.  The 
marshes  at  this  place  are  also  favorite  breeding  localities,  where  the 
nests  are  built  up  from  the  grouad,  which  is  wet  at  high  tide.  At  I^ong 
Beach,  N.  J.,  it  breeds  rarely  and  is  said  to  have  been  formerly  one  of 
the  most  abundant  breeding  species. 

Mr.  Perry  writes  that  the  Willet  finds  favorite  breeding  grounds  in 
the  salt  marshes  of  Georgia  and  South  Carolina.  He  mentions  a  large 
tract  of  'salt  grass'  in  Beaufort  Co.,  S.  C,  where  it  breeds  in  great 
numbers.  A  hundred  pairs  or  more  are  commonly  observed  breeding 
in  this  locality  and  at  the  same  time,  the  eggs  are  very  difiicult  to  dis- 
cover. Crows  feed  upon  them  and  the  empty  shells  are  strewn  plenti- 
fully over  the  field.  The  nest  is  a  mere  depression  of  the  ground, 
lined  with  a  few  pieces  of  dry  grass.  Sometimes  it  is  placed  in  a  tus- 
sock of  grass.  Mr.  Perry  states  that  the  eggs  are  deposited  early  in 
May.  Mr.  Stuart  reports  the  Willet  as  breeding  abundantly  along  the 
Gulf  coast  of  Florida  in  May  and  June.  The  eggs  are  four  in 
number,  and  there  seems  to  be  two  distinct  types  of  coloration  in  the 
ground  color  —  either  a  greenish-white  or  a  dark  brownish-olive, 
marked  with  bold  spots  of  various  shades  of  umber-brown  and  mark- 
ings of  subdued  purple.  The  eggs  are  very  large  for  the  size  of  the 
bird,  ranging  from  1.98  to  2.12  in  length  by  1.46  to  1.58  broad.  Four 
eggs  measure  1.95x1.50,  1.98.x  1.49,  2.05x1.53,  2.04x1.53. 


■iM 


124 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


Hi 

i 


[260.]    Pavoncella  pugnax     (Linn.)    [554.] 

Rnff. 

Hab.    Northern  portions  of  the  Old  World;  occasionally  straying  to  Eastern  North  America. 

The  male  of  this  species  is  known  as  the  Rnff  and  the  female  as 
Reeve.  It  is  a  bird  of  wide  distribution ;  found  at  various  seasons  of 
the  year  throughout  Europe,  the  northern  parts  of  Africa,  and  in 
western  Asia.  Examples  of  this  bird  have  been  taken  in  Eastern 
United  States,  as  well  as  on  Long  Island  and  in  various  places  in  New 
England.  Dr.  Jasper  took  a  specimen  November  10, 1872,  at  the  Lick- 
ing county  Reservoir,  Ohio.  It  breeds  more  or  less  commonly  in 
England  and  Scotland,  where  the  eggs  are  deposited  during  the  first  or 
second  week  in  May. 

The  RuflF  is  about  the  size  of  the  Bartramian  Sandpiper,  and  it  also 
resembles  this  bird  in  color.  But  the  most  marked  peculiarity  of 
the  species  is  the  ruff-like  growth  of  feathers  about  the  neck,  from 
which  it  takes  its  name.  There  is  an  endless  variety  of  plumage  in 
the  birds,  the  males  and  females  differing  widely  in  this  respect.  As 
its  specific  name,  pugnax^  implies  the  bird  is  of  a  pugnacious  disposi- 
tion, the  males  engaging  in  aggressive  combats  during  the  breeding 
season.  Their  movements  in  fighting  are  said  to  be  something  like 
a  game  cock. 

Breeds  throughout  the  greater  portion  of  Scandinavia  and  in 
Denmark.  In  Lapland  it  arrives  in  the  last  week  of  May  where  it  is 
found  along  the  margin  of  lakes  and  rivers  ;  later  m  the  season  it  may 
be  found  hiding  in  the  tall  grass  of  the  marshes. 

The  nest  is  usually  placed  on  a  slight  elevation  in  swampy  places 
surroimded  by  coarse  grass  of  which  material  it  is  composed.  The 
eggs  are  four  in  number  and  average  1.60x1.09.  Four  eggs  in  my 
cabinet  from  England  measure  1.64x1.17,  1.79x1.20,  1.64x1.18,  1.75 
XI.  12.  They  are  of  an  oblong  pyriform  shape ;  the  ground  color  is  of 
an  olive  or  grayish -green ;  the  markings  are  the  same  as  those  of  the 
American  Jack  Snipe  eggs  but  are  heavier  and  more  profuse — with 
spots  and  blotches  of  umber  and  blackish-brown. 

261.    Bartramia  longicauda    (Bechst.)    [555] 

Bartramian  Sandpiper. 

Hab.  Eastern  North  America,  north  to  Nova  Scotia  and  Alaska.  Breeds  throughout  its  range. 
South  in  winter  as  far  as  Southern  South  America. 

Bartram's  Tattler  is  distributed  more  or  less  abundantly  through- 
out the  United  States,  but  is  rare  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains. 
Breeds  commonly  from  the  middle  districts  —  Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois, 
Iowa,  Minnesota  and  Dakota  northward,  into  the  Fur  Country,  and  in 
Alaska.     It  is  very  numerous  on  the  prairies  of  the  interior,  and  is 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


126 


also  common  eastward.  It  is  known  as  Field  "  Plover,"  Upland 
"  Plover,"  Grass  "  Plover,"  Prairie  "  Pigeon,"  and  Prairie  "  Snipe." 
In  Ohio  and  Pennsylvania  the  eggs  are  hatched  by  the  first  or  second 
week  in  June.  One  of  the  most  familiar  birds  on  the  dry,  open 
prairies  of  Manitoba,  where  it  breeds,  and  is  known  as  the  "  Quaily," 
from  its  soft,  mellow  note.  Mr.  L.  Jones,  of  Grinnell,  Iowa,  informs 
me  that  it  nests  in  that  region  about  the  20th  of  May.  Known  to 
breed  in  various  portions  of  Michigan,  but  its  eggs  are  not  often 
taken.  The  bird  is  less  aquatic  than  most  of  the  other  Sandpipers, 
and  is  seldom  seen  along  the  banks  of  streams.  Its  favorite  resorts 
are  old  pastures,  upland,  stubble  fields  and  meadows,  where  its  nests 
may  be  found  in  a  slight  depression  of  the  ground,  and  they  are  not 
always  well  concealed.  It  frequently  alights  on  trees  or  on  fences,  like 
a  Meadow  Lark.  The  eggs  of  Bartram's  Sandpiper  are  of  a  pale  clay 
or  buff,  thickly  spotted  with  umber  and  yellowish-brown,  especially 
about  the  larger  end ;  commonly  four  in  number ;  sizes  range  from 
1.70  to  1.90  long  by  about  1.28  broad. 

262.    Tryngites  subruflcollls    (Vieill).    [556.] 

Buff-breasted  Sandpiper. 

Hab.  North  America,  especially  the  interior.  Breeds  in  the  interior  or  British  America  and  in 
Alaska.    Occasional  occurrence  in  Europe. 

This  interesting  little  Sandpiper  is  of  general  distribution  in 
North  America,  but  apparently  nowhere  very  common.  It  is  migra- 
tory in  the  United  States,  and  breeds  in  the  Arctic  regions.  Winters 
south  of  United  States.  It  is  often  found  in  company  with  the 
Semipalmated  Plovers  and  Semipalmated  Sandpipers  on  the  gravelly 
banks  of  rivers.  This  bird  is  said  to  resemble  Bartram's  Sandpiper 
in  frequenting  upland  fields  and  meadows.  Breeds  in  the  MacFarlane 
and  Anderson  River  regions  and  in  the  Barren  Lands  of  the  Arctic 
coast.  The  nesting  season  in  these  regions  is  the  latter  part  of 
June,  extending  to  the  middle  of  July.  The  bird  also  breeds  in  the 
Yukon  River  district.  The  nests  are  slight  depressions  in  the  soil, 
scantily  lined  with  a  few  grasses  or  withered  leaves.  The  eggs  are 
clay  color  of  various  shades,  sharply  spotted  and  blotched  with  rich 
umber-brown ;  there  is  a  great  diversity  in  the  shades  of  the  ground 
color  in  a  large  series  of  specimens,  and  there  is  also  the  same  varia- 
tions in  the  markings ;  the  eggs  are  pointedly  pyriform  in  shape  ; 
commonly  four  in  number,  and  measure  from  1.40  to  1.50  long  by  1.02 
to  1. 10  broad. 

263.    Actitis  macularla     (Linn.)    [557] 

Spotted  Sandpiper- 

Hab.     North  and  South  America  and  West  Indies.     Winters  chiefly  south  of  the  United  States. 

The  familiar  little  Spotted  Sandpiper  is  an  extremely  abundant 


r    : 


h 


I 


♦■^  't 


I 


126 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


bird  throughout  North  America,  breeding  everywhere.  It  winters  in 
the  Southern  States  and  beyond.  Every  lazy  fisherman  and  idle 
school  boy,  who  has  whiled  away  many  a  balmy  and  hot  siimmer  day 
along  the  banks  of  streams,  knows  this  bird  well  by  the  bobbing  and 
tilting  movements  of  its  body  and  tail,  and  its  peculiar  xio\.t^  peet-weet^ 
peet-weet,  as  it  flies  up  and  down  and  across  the  streams.  It  is  known 
by  many  a  curious  nickname  :  "  Teeter-tail,"  "  Tip-up,"  "  Sandlark," 
'*  Peet-weet "  and  others  which  generally  refer  to  some  eccentricity  of 
the  bird. 

The  eggs  are  creamy,  buff  or  clay  color,  blotched,  spotted  and 
dotted  with  blackish-brown;  usually  four  in  number,  and  measure 
about  1.34  by  .92.  The  nest  of  this  Sandpiper  is  made  on  the  ground, 
generally  in  the  shelter  of  high  weeds  or  grass  on  a  sandy  island  or 
border  of  a  cultivated  meadow,  near  water  and  often  at  a  considerable 
distance  from  any  water.  It  is  simply  a  depression  in  the  soil,  some- 
times constructed  with  hay  and  moss.  The  eggs  like  all  those  of 
the  waders  lay  in  the  nests  with  the  small  ends  together. 

264.    Numenius  longlrostris    Wils.    [558.] 


Hab. 


Long-billed  CarleiT' 

Temperate  North  America,  migrates  suuth  to  Guatemala  and  the  West  Indies, 


The  large  Sickle-bill  is  of  irregular  distribution  in  temperate 
North  America,  breeding  nearly  throughout  its  range.  It  is  migratory 
northward  and  is  resident  from  the  Carolinas  south  to  Mexico.  It 
nests  very  abundantly  on  the  South  Atlantic  coast,  and  on  the  prairies 
of  the  interior  and  the  Northwest.  Unlike  others  of  its  genius  it  is 
not  a  bird  of  high  latitude.  The  eggs  of  the  Long-billed  Curlew  are 
three  or  four  in  number ;  and  almost  exactly  resemble  those  of  the 
Willet,  but  are  larger,  measuring  from  2.45  to  2.80  in  length  by 
1.80  to  1.90  in  breadth ;  they  are,  however,  more  of  a  pyriform 
shape  than  the  eggs  of  the  Willet.  In  common  with  other  waders 
the  eggs  are  deposited  on  the  ground  in  a  slight  hollow  lined  with  a 
few  grasses.  This  Curlew  may  be  known  from  all  others  by  its  large 
size  and  very  long,  curved  bill,  measuring  from  four  to  six  or  eight 
inches.  It  may  sometimes  breed  at  St.  Mary's  Reservoir,  in  Mercer 
county,  and  other  localities  of  Northwestern  Ohio,  as  it  is  known  to 
breed  in  Northern  Illinois. 

265.    Numenius  hudsonicus    Lath.    [559.] 

Hndsonlan  Cnrlevr. 

Hab.  North  and  South  America  and  West  Indies.  Breeds  in  the  far  north;  winters  chiefly  south  of 
the  United  States. 

The  American  Whimbrel,  Short-billed,  or  Jack  Curlew,  as  this  bird 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


127 


is  variously  called,  is  noi  so  abundant  as  the  Long-billed  or  Eskimo 
Curlews.  It  is  generally  distributed  throughout  North  America,  breed- 
ing in  the  far  north  —  in  vicinity  of  ponds  and  lakes  on  the  Barren 
Lands  of  the  Arctic  regions,  the  regions  of  the  Anderson  River  and  in 
various  parts  of  Alaska.  Nests  like  those  of  the  last  species.  In  the 
United  States  it  is  a  spring  and  fall  migrant  and  is  often  found  in  com- 
pany with  Godwits,  Snipe  and  others  of  its  tribe.  The  eggs  are  ashy- 
yellow,  the  markings  are  large  and  bold,  of  different  shades  of  choco- 
late and  umber-brown.  The  eggs  of  this  species  can  only  be  distin- 
guished from  those  of  the  following  species  by  their  larger  size  ;  from 
2.12  to  2.30  in  length  by  about  1.60  broad;  generally  four  in  number; 
of  the  usual  pear-shape. 

266.    Numenius  borealis    (Forst).     [560.] 

Efkimo  Cnrlew^. 

Hab.  Eastern  Province  of  North  America,  breeding  in  the  Arctic  regions :  south  in  winter  to  Southern 
Ssuth  America. 

The  Dough-bird,  or  Eskimo  Curlew,  is  found  in  North  America  at 
large  and  breeds  within  the  Arctic  circle.  It  migrates  through  the 
United  States,  where  it  is  rarely  known  to  winter,  and  never  to  sum- 
mer ;  wintering  in  Central  and  South  America.  Abundant  in  certain 
places  during  the  migrations.  In  Labrador  it  is  said  to  fairly  swarm  in 
August.  Of  this  bird's  nest  and  eggs  Dr.  Coues  says :  '*  This  species 
breeds  in  great  numbers  in  the  Anderson  River  region,  usually  making 
up  its  nest  complement  of  four  eggs  by  the  third  week  in  June.  The 
nest  is  generally  in  an  open  plain,  and  is  a  mere  depression  of  the 
ground,  lined  with  a  few  dried  leaves  or  grasses.  The  eggs  vary  to  the 
great  extent  usually  witnessed  among  waders.  The  ground  is  olive- 
drab,  tending  either  to  green,  gray  or  brown  in  different  instances.  The 
markings,  always  large,  numerous  and  bold,  are  of  different  depths  of 
dark  chocolate,  bistre  and  sepia-brown,  with  ordinary  stone-gray  shell 
spots.  They  always  tend  to  aggregate  at  the  larger  end,  or  at  least, 
are  more  numerous  on  the  major  half  of  the  eggs;  though  in  a  few  in- 
stances the  distribution  is  nearly  uniform.  Occasionally  the  butt  end 
of  the  egg  is  almost  completely  occupied  by  confluence  of  very  dark 
markings.  Eggs  vary  from  1.90x1.40  to  2.12x1.33,  averaging  about 
2.00x1.45."* 

[267.]    Numenius  phaopus    (Linn.)    [561.] 


'Whimbrel. 

Hab.    Old  World;  occasional  in  Greenland. 


In  England  and  Scotland  this  bird  is  known  as  Whimbrel  Curlew, 
"Half-Curlew,"   or  Jack  Curlew.      It  breeds    throughout   Northern 


•Birds  of  the  Northwest,  p.  512. 


I1 


128 


NRSTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


Europe  and  Asia.  Though  pretty  generally  diffused  in  Great  Britain,  it 
is  only  found  breeding  in  the  extreme  north  of  Scotland,  on  the  Orkney 
and  Shetland  Islands,  where  the  eggs  are  hatched  by  the  first  part  of 
June.  In  these  i)laces  the  nests  are  made  on  elevated  portions  of  the 
heath.  During  the  breeding  season  the  Whimbrel  is  found  on  the 
Faroe  Islands  and  in  Iceland.  It  is  distributed  throughout  Denmark, 
Scandinavia  and  Russia ;  a  few  are  known  to  bree  ^apland,  as  far 

north  as  latitude  65°.  It  is  said  by  the  best  author  .s  that  this  bird 
is  the  most  widely  diffused  of  all  the  waders.  Its  extra-limital  range 
includes  Siberia,  India,  China,  Australia  and  Africa. 

On  the  Faroe  Islands  it  is  recorded  as  breeding  from  the  25tli  of 
May  to  the  17th  of  June.  The  nest  being  simply  a  depression  in  the 
soil  on  some  slight  elevation  in  dry  spots  in  marshes.  The  eggs  are 
four  in  number,  pear-shaped,  and  vary  in  color  from  light  olive-brown 
to  dark  greenish-brown,  clouded  with  spots  and  blotches  of  dark  umber ; 
average  size  2.34  x  1.67. 

[269.]    Vanellus  vanellug    (Linn.)    [512.] 

Hab.  Northern  portion  of  Eastern  Hemisphere;  occasional  in  Arctic  /  -rica,  Greenland  and  the 
Islands  of  Norton  Sound,  Alaska. 

The  Lapwing  or  Peewit  is   one   of  the  mos  nliar   birds  of 

Europe.  A  rare  visitant  in  Greenland  and  other  parts  of  North  Ameri- 
ca. Abundant  in  all  suitable  localities  in  Great  Britain  and  in  all  the 
adjacent  smaller  islands.  Found  as  far  North  as  the  Faroes,  and  in 
Iceland.  Common  in  Denmark,  Norway  and  Sweden  and  throughout 
Russia.  It  is  not  so  abundant  in  various  portions  of  Continental 
Europe,  as  in  France,  Spain  and  Italy. 

The  Lapwing  is  a  handsome  plover  ;  in  the  adult  in  summer  dress 
the  fore-part  and  top  of  the  head,  chin,  throat  and  breast  is  uniform 
blue-black  ;  side  of  head  and  neck  white,  grayish  behind  the  neck ; 
upper  parts  chiefly  metallic  bottle  green,  changing  to  a  coppery  pur- 
ple. From  the  occiput  springs  a  long  crest  of  narrow  bluish-black 
feathers  which  curve  upwards.  It  is  commonly  called  Te-wit,  Crested 
Lapwing,  Green  Lapwing  and  Green  Plover. 

The  nests  of  this  bird  are  like  those  of  all  the  Plovers — slight  de- 
pressions in  the  soil  with  a  few  grasses  for  a  lining.  The  eggs  are 
four  in  number ;  they  vary  from  dull,  light,  grayish-buff  to  deep  olive 
buff,  more  or  less  heavily  marked  with  spots  and  blotches  of  brown- 
ish-black ;  they  are  pyriform  in  shape.  Four  eggs  in  my  cabinet,  col- 
lected in  Staffordshire,  England,  April  18,  measure  1.88x1.30,  1.89  x 
1.32,  1.84  X  1.36,  1.82  X  1.32.     The  average  size  is  1.85  x  1.33. 


NORTH  AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


129 


Iss 

Im 


The  eggs  are  regarded  as  a  delicacy  and  are  much  sought  after  in 
all  districts  where  the  bird  is  common. 

270.    GharadriQS  squatarola    (Link.)    [513.] 

Bluoli-bellled   Plover. 

Hab.  Northern  portloni  of  Northern  Hemiiphere,  braeding  far  north;  mtsrating  louth  in  winter;  in 
America  to  Braiil,  New  Grenada  and  the  West  Indiea. 

This  handsome  bird  is  known  by  several  different  names :  Beetle- 
head,  Ox-eye,  Whistling  Field  Plover,  Bull-head  Plover  and  Swiss 
Plover.  It  is  a  species  of  wide  distribution,  being  nearly  cosmopolitan 
during  its  migrations,  wandering  through  Southern  Asia,  Northern  and 
Southern  Africa,  Australia,  the  West  Indies,  Central  and  South  Amer- 
ica to  Brazil.  The  eggs  have  only  been  taken  in  the  extreme  Arctic 
regions — on  both  sides  of  the  Ural  Mountains  in  Northern  Russia — 
the  banks  of  the  Taimyr  in  the  East  and  the  tundras  of  the  Petchora 
River  in  the  West.  In  North  America  it  has  been  found  breeding  in 
various  places  in  the  Arctic  regions,  as  on  the  islands  of  Franklin  Bay 
on  the  Arctic  coast,  in  the  first  part  of  July  and  on  the  Barren  Lands. 
It  is  also  known  to  breed  in  Greenland.  All  the  nests  found  are  mere 
depressions  in  the  ground  with  a  slight  lining  of  grasses  and  leaves. 

The  eggs  are  described  as  being  very  similar  to  those  of  the  Gold- 
en Plover,  C.  ap'icarius^  or  those  of  the  Lapwing;  pyriform  in  shape, 
varying  from  lig,  buffy-olive  to  deep  olive-buff,  thickly  and  heavily 
marked  with  brov    'sh-blaci.  or  deep  black;  average  size,  2.04x1.43. 

[271.]    Charadrius  apricarius    Linn.    [514.] 


Hab. 


Golden   Plover. 

Europe;  in  winter  south  into  Africa.    Greenland. 


The  European  Golden  Plover  is  like  the  American  bird,  but  the 
linings  of  the  wings  are  white.  In  Great  Britain  during  the  winter 
months  it  is  one  of  the  most  abundant  species ;  in  summer  returning  to 
the  moorlands  of  Scotland  and  Ireland,  and  northward  to  the  Orkney 
and  Shetland  Islands,  where  it  breeds.  It  is  found  in  Norway,  Sweden 
and  in  Lapland.  Breeds  also  in  the  Faroes,  in  Iceland  and  in  Eastern 
Greenland.  The  nest  is  simply  a  hollow  in  the  ground,  lined  with  a' 
few  grasses.  The  full  complement  of  eggs  is  four  and  seem  exceeding 
large  for  the  size  of  the  bird. 

The  ground  color  in  a  large  series  of  these  eggs  varies  consider- 
ably—  creamy-white,  others  with  a  much  darker  shade  of  the  same, 
and  again  of  a  dark  chocolate-brown.  On  these  different  ground-colors 
the  large,  bold  spots  and  confluent  blotches  of  brownish-black  present 
quite  a  varied  appearance.  Eight  eggs  in  my  cabinet  from  Renfrew, 
Scotland,  measure,  2.02x1.42,  2.08x1.37,  2.10x1.38;  2.11x1.45, 
1.96 X  1.40,  2.01  x:. 37,  2.08x1.40,  2.12x1.43.    Average,  2.08x1.42. 

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130 


NBSTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


272.    Gharadrins  dominioos    Mull.    [515.] 

Amerloau    GoldMi   Plover. 

Hab.    North  America  at  large,  breeding  in  the  Arctic  regions. 

The  Golden  or  Green  Plover  breeds  in  Arctic  America  east  of  the 
coast  of  Bering  Sea  and  Strait,  migrating  south  in  winter  nearly 
throughout  the  entire  America  as  far  south  as  Patagonia.  In  spring 
and  fall  it  is  an  abundant  bird  in  the  United  States,  and  is  generally 
esteemed  for  the  table  on  account  of  its  large  size  and  the  flavor  of  its 
flesh.  Breeds  abundantly  on  the  coasts  and  islands  of  the  Arctic  Sea, 
and  on  the  Barren  Lands,  depositing  four  eggs  in  a  depression  of  the 
soil,  which  is  usually  slightly  lined  with  bits  of  dry  griiSS.  Out  of  one 
hundred  and  fourteen  nests  recorded  by  Mr.  MacFarlane  in  the  Arctic 
regions,  niuety-two  contained  four  eggs  each.  They  vary  from  pale 
bluffy-brown  to  dark  grayish-bufif,  spotted  and  blotched  with  brownish- 
black,  chiefly  at  the  larger  end.  The  spots  are  often  confluent.  The 
average  size  is  1.98  x  1.37. 

A  set  of  three  eggs  in  the  collection  of  Mr.  J.  Parker  Noriis  were 
taken  July  2,  1864,  by  R.  R.  MacFarlane,  at  Franklin's  Bay.  The  nest 
was  on  the  sea  beach,  and  the  parent  bird  was  seen.  They  are  ovate 
pyriform  in  shape,  quite  pointed,  and  are  of  an  ochraceus-buff,  heavily 
blotched  and  spotted  (chiefly  at  the  larger  ends,  however,)  with  seal 
brown  and  black.  They  measure  1.96x1.28;  1.92x1.32;  1.86x1.33. 
The  markings  form  an  indistinct  circle  around  the  larger  ends. 

Capt.  B.  F.  Goss  has  a  set  of  four  eggs  of  the  Golden  Plover  in  his 
collection,  taken  by  Mr.  MacFarlane  on  the  Barren  Grounds  near  the 
Anderson  River.  These  are  buffy-drab,  spotted  and  splashed  with 
dark  brown,  almost  black ;  they  are  pyriform  in  shape,  quite  pointed 
at  the  small  end,  and  blunt  at  the  larger  portion  of  the  egg. 

272  a.    Gharadrius  domlnicus  fulvus    (Gmel.)    [515a.] 

Paolfio    Golden   Plover. 

Hab.  Asia,  and  islands  of  the  Pacific.  In  North  America,  the  islands  and  coasts  of  Alaska.  In 
winter,  south  through  India,  China,  etc.,  to  Australia  and  Polynesia. 

The  Asiatic  Golden  Plover  is  similar  to  C.  domtmcus,  but  is  slightly 
smaller  and  of  a  more  golden  color.  It  breeds  in  Northern  Asia,  the 
Alaskan  coasts  of  Bering  Sea  and  Strait.  Nesting  and  eggs  similar  to 
those  of  the  last.    Average  size  of  the  eggs,  2.02  x  1.30. 

273.    iEgialitis  vocifera    (Linn).    [516.] 

Killdeer. 

Hab.  Temptrate  North  America,  south  in  winter  to  the  West  Indies,  Central  and  Northern  South 
America. 

This  familiar  bird  whose  notes,  ktl-deer,  kt'l-deer,  are  heard  in  the 
daytime,  and  often  in  moonlight  nights,  more  frequently  during  the 
breeding  season  than  at  any  other  time,  is  very  abundant  in  North 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


131 


America  at  large,  breeding  anywhere  in  its  range.  The  nest  is  placed 
on  the  ground,  usually  in  the  vicinity  of  a  stream  or  pond,  and  often 
on  an  elevated  spot  in  the  grass  or  in  a  furrowed  field.  It  is  merely  a 
slight  depression  of  the  ground.  The  bird  frequents  both  high  and  low 
grounds,  pastures  and  fallow  fields,  as  well  as  borders  of  streams. 

The  eggs  are  drab  or  clay-color,  thickly  spotted  and  blotched  with 
blackish-brown  and  umber ;  small  end,  quite  pointed,  as  is  usually  the 
case  with  all  eggs  of  birds  of  this  order ;  the  eggs  are  generally  four  in 
number,  measuring  from  1,50  to  1.60  long  by  about  i.io  broad. 

274.    ^glalitis  semipalmata    Bonap.    [517.] 

Semipalinat«d   Plover. 

Hab.  North  America  in  general;  breeding  in  Arctic  and  sub- Arctic  districts;  south  in  winter 
throughout  tropical  America  as  far  as  Brazil  and  Peru. 

The  Semipalmated  Ring  Plover  is  abundant  and  generally  diffused 
throughout  the  whole  of  North  America.  In  the  United  States  it 
occurs  only  in  the  migrations,  but  it  probably  breeds  occasionally  in 
some  of  the  Northern  States.  Both  eggs  and  young  have  been  taken 
near  Chicago,  111.,  in  July.  It  has  been  found  in  the  summer  months 
in  the  Saskatchewan  and  Mackenzie  River  regions,  and  in  those  of 
Hudson's  Bay,  in  Greenland  and  throughout  various  portions  of  Arctic 
America.  It  has  been  found  breeding  in  the  latter  part  of  June  on  the 
Arctic  coast,  and  in  the  Anderson  River  regions.  Breeds  on  the  islands 
of  the  Alaskan  coast,  and  at  the  mouth  of  the  Yukon.  Audubon  found 
it  nesting  in  Labrador.  The  nest  is  a  mere  depression  in  the  ground, 
with  a  lining  of  dry  grasses  or  leaves.  The  bird's  general  habits  are 
like  those  of  the  Killdeer. 

The  eggs  vary  from  greenish  to  yellowish-ash,  spotted,  blotched 
and  dotted  with  varying  shades  of  brown ;  pyriform ;  scarcely  distin- 
guishable from  those  of  the  Killdeer,  excepting  in  size ;  length  1.20  to 
1.40  by  .90  to  .95  in  breadth ;  two  to  four  in  number. 

275.    JEgialltls  hiatlcnla    (Linn).    [518.] 

Ring    Plover. 

Hab.    Northern  portion  of  Eastern  Hemisphere,  and  eastern  portion  of  Arctic  America. 

The  well  known  Ringed  Dotterel,  or  Ringed  Plover  of  Europe, 
holds  its  place  as  a  North  American  species  on  the  grounds  of  its 
breeding  abundantly  throughout  Greenland  and  on  the  shores  of  Cum- 
berland Gulf.  It  is  particularly  common  in  Great  Britain,  where  it 
frequents  the  banks  of  rivers,  inlets  and  bays,  and  the  shores  of  the 
sea.     Common  in  Norway,  and  it  has  been  met  with  in  Lapland. 

The  eggs  of  this  species  are  deposited  in  a  slight  depression  in  the 
sand,  in  broken  shells  or  shingles  above  high-water  mark.  Four  eggs 
are  laid  and  their  ground  color  is  of  a  pale  buff  or  cream  color ;  they 


$¥■>■    ' 


132 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OP 


are  beautifully  spotted  with,  dark  reddish-brown,  approaching  black, 
here  and  there  are  obscure  shell  markings.  Average  size  1.41x1.00. 
Four  eggs  from  England,  collected  May  6,  are  in  my  cabinet  and  meas- 
ure 1.36x1,00,  1.40XI.02,  1.43  X. 99,  1.42x1.00. 

[276.]    iEgialitis  dubia    (Scop).    [519.] 

Little  Rins  Plovar. 

Hab.  Northern  portioni  of  Eastern  Hemisphere.  Accidental  on  the  coast  of  California  and  in 
Alaska. 

The  Little  Ringed  Dotterel  or  Ivittle  Ringed  Plover  breeds  in  the 
northern  portions  of  the  Old  World. 

Its  general  habits,  nesting  and  eggs  are  said  to  resemble  those  ot 
the  Semipalmated  Plover,  but  the  eggs,  like  the  bird,  are  much 
smaller. 

A  set  of  four  eggs  in  the  cabinet  of  Mr.  J.  Parker  Norris  were  col- 
lected April  5,  1885,  by  H.  Muller,  at  Anclam,  Germany.  They  are 
short  ovate  in  form,  of  a  pinkish-bufF  ground  color,  finely  speckled  all 
over    with    bistre.      They    measnre    1.16X.87,    i.i8x.8S,    1.T9X.90, 

i.ai  x.88. 

277.    JEgialltis  meloda    (Ord).    [520.] 

Piping  Plover. 

Hab.  Chiefly  the  Atlantic  coast  of  the  United  States,  north  to  southern  Labrador.  In  winter.  West 
Indies. 

The  Piping  Plover  is  an  abundant  species  in  the  summer  months 
along  the  eastern  coast  of  the  United  States,  breeding  from  the  Caro- 
linas  northward  as  far  as  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence.  It  is  a  graceful 
and  attractive  little  species,  possessing  a  remarkably  musical  voice 
which  can  be  heard  as  the  bird  moves  gracefully  over  the  sandy 
beaches.  Its  food  is  small  marine  worms,  Crustacea,  etc.  During  in- 
cubation it  is  said  that  the  parents  rarely  sit  upon  their  eggs,  except 
at  night  and  in  damp  weather,  but  always  remain  in  the  vicinity  and 
watch  over  their  treasures  with  solicitude. 

The  eggs  are  four  in  number,  pale  buff,  speckled  with  black  and 
purplish  gray.  In  some  the  markings  are  very  much  more  profuse 
than  in  others.  The  average  size  of  a  large  series  ( fifty  in  number)  is 
1.29  x. 95.  Four  specimens  measure,  1.28x1.01,  1.31x1.01,  1.25 x 
1.03,  1.28  X  i.oo. 

277  a.    xEglalitis  meloda  circnmcincta    Ridgw.    [sr.oa.] 

Belted  Pipins  Plover. 

Hab.    Missouri  River  region;  occasionally  c  istward  to  the  Atlantic  coast. 

This  variety  of  the  Piping  Plover  is  found  between  the  Missouri 
River  and  the  Rocky  Mountains  and  as  far  eastward  as  Lake  Kos- 
konong,  in  southern  Wisconsin  and  occasionally  along  the  Atlantic 
coast.  Its  habits  are  the  same  as  those  of  meloda.  The  eggs  measure 
1.27  X  .93. 


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NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS.  133 

278.    iEgialitis  nivosa    Cass.    [521.] 

Snoirr   Plover. 

Hab.  Western  North  America,  south  to  Mexico  in  winter,  both  coasts  of  Central  America  and  in 
Western  South  America  to  Chili. 

The  Snowy  Ring  Plover  inhabits  the  United  States  chiefly  west 
of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  It  is  a  constant  resident  along  the  Califor- 
nia coast,  and  a  specimen  has  been  taken  on  the  coast  of  Texas  in  the 
latter  part  of  June.  Mr.  Emerson,  of  Haywards,  California,  informs 
me  that  it  nests  along  the  sandy  beeches  of  the  ocean  coast,  and  says 
he  has  no  doubt  that  it  bf.cis  along  the  bay  beach,  as  he  shot  the 
young  there  in  June.  Mr.  Shields  states  that  it  is  abundant  along  the 
sandy  beaches  in  the  vicinity  of  Los  Angeles,  nesting  in  the  first  week 
of  April ;  fresh  eggs  often  being  found  as  late  as  May  15.  Mr.  N.  S. 
Goss  found  the  Snowy  Plover  breeding  on  the  salt  plains  along  the 
Cimarrion  River,  in  the  Indian  Territory,  the  northern  limits  of  which 
extend  into  south-western  Comanche  County,  Kansas ;  he  also  took  two 
specimens  within  the  State  limits.  The  birds  are  described  as  being 
very  much  lighter  in  color  that  the  California  specimens.*  The  eggs 
are  three  in  number,  in  ground  color,  pale  buff  or  clay  color,  and  the 
markings  very  much  resemble  Wilson's  Plover,  but  are  more  numerous 
and  scratchy ;  about  the  size  of  the  eggs  of  the  Piping  Plover,  meloda^ 

1. 20  X. 90 

[279.]    JEgialitis  mongola    (Pall). 

Mongolian   Plover. 

Hab.  Northern  Asia,  south  in  winter  to  Malay  Archipeligo  and  Australia,  Choris  Peninsula,  Alaska, 
accidental. 

A  bird  of  wide  distribution.  Found  throughout  Northern  Asia  in 
general,  west  to  St.  Petersburg,  Palestine  and  Northeastern  Africa.  In 
winter  it  is  found  throughout  Southern  Asia  and  as  far  south  as  the 
Philippines,  Malay  Archipeligo,  etc.,  to  Australia.  Breeds  commonly 
in  Northern  portions  of  Asia,  nesting  on  the  ground  like  others  of  its  tribe* 
The  eggs  are  four  in  number ;  pale  dull  olive  or  buff  sparsely  marked 
with  brownish-black ;  size,  1.43  x  1.05. 

280.    JEgialitis  wilsonia    (Ord.)    [522.] 

'Wilson's  Plover. 

Hab.  Atlantic  and  Gulf  coasts  of  North  America,  north  to  Long  Island.  Casually  to  Nova  Scotia. 
South  in  winter  to  Brazil  and  Peru  and  West  Indies. 

Wilson's  Plover,  named  in  honor  of  the  immortal  Wilson,  is  com- 
mon along  the  sea-coast  of  the  South  Atlantic  aud  Gulf  States.  It  is 
found  along  the  Eastern  coast,  but  rarely  north  beyond  New  Jersey. 
One  of  the  "beach  birds  "  and  may  be  found  in  company  with  others 
of  the  genus  ^gialitis.  On  some  of  the  islands  on  the  coast  of  Georgia 
Mr.  Perry  found  them  breeding  in  great  numbers  in  company  with  the 

*Auk.  III.  p.  409. 


134 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OE 


li' 


Least  Tern,  nesting  very  much  in  the  same  manner.  The  eggs  are  de- 
posited in  a  cavity  of  the  loose  pebbles  or  shells  of  the  beach ;  they  are 
usually  three  in  number.  The  ground  color  is  a  pale  olive-drab  or 
clay-colored,  some  having  a  greenish  tint,  marked  all  over  with  black- 
ish-brown, well  defined  spots,  small  splashes  and  fine  dots.  Sizes  from 
1.30  to  1.45  long  by  i.oo  to  1.05  broad.  A  set  in  R  Perry's  cabinet 
measures  as  follows :     1.37  x  .99,  1.82  x  .98,  1.40x1.00. 


281. 


[523-] 


Hab. 


^gialltis  montana    (Towns.) 

Monntaln   Plover. 

Western  North  America,  east  to  the  Great  Plains;  accidental  in  Florida, 


More  properly  called  Prairie  Plover,  but  it  seems  to  have  been 
badly  named,  for  it  certainly  is  a  prairie  bird,  inhabiting  the  most 
barren  prairies,  as  well  as  the  watered  regions  of  the  United  States, 
from  the  plains  to  the  Pacific.  It  can  readily  be  recognized  by  its  large 
size,  the  lack  of  rings  on  the  breast,  with  the  uniform  pale,  yellowish- 
brown  above.  It  is  quite  independent  of  water,  and  is  said  to  be  not 
the  least  aquatic,  even  on  the  Pacific  coast;  it  frequents  the  plain, 
never  the  marsh  or  beach.  Nests  anywhere  on  the  open  prairie  in 
June  and  July. 

The  eggs  are  usually  three  in  number,  olive-drab,  with  a  brown 
shade,  finely  and  thickly  dotted  with  very  dark  brown  and  black,  the 
markings  not  larger  than  a  pin's  head;  sizes  from  1.40  to  1.50  long  by 
1. 10  to  1. 12  broad. 

283.    Arenaria  interpres    (Linn.)    [509.] 

Turnatone. 

Hub.     Entirely  cosmopolitan,  chiefly  along  the  sea-coasts.    Breeds  in  high  northern  latitudes. 

The  common  Turnstone  is  widely  distributed  in  the  breeding  sea- 
son throughout  the  northern  portions  of  both  continents,  and  wanders 
southward  along  the  sea-coasts  of  all  countries.  In  America  it  breeds 
commonly  in  the  Barren  Lands  of  the  Arctic  coasts  and  the  Anderson 
River  districts,  on  the  islands  of  Franklin  and  Liverpool  Bays,  nesting 
in  July.  In  the  Hudson's  Bay  country  the  eggs  are  laid  in  June ;  the 
nest  is  nothing  but  a  hollow  scratched  in  the  earth,  lined  with  bits  of 
grass.  It  is  known  by  various  names,  "  Brant  Bird,"  "  Bead  Bird," 
"  Horse-foot  Snipe,"  and  from  its  varigated  colors,  "  Calico-back." 

The  eggs  are  greenish-ash,  spotted,  blotched  and  dotted  irregularly 
and  thickly  with  yellowish  and  umber  brown ;  two  to  four ;  abruptly 
pyriform  in  shape,  and  average  1.58  x  1.15. 

A  set  of  four  eggs  of  this  species  is  in  the  cabinet  of  Captain  B.  F. 
Goss.  These  were  taken  on  the  Yukon  River,  in  Alaska.  The  nest 
was  a  slight  depression  on  the  ground.     The  eggs  are  greenish-drab, 


» 

fy 

.  • 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 

spotted  all  over  with  brown;  sizes,  1.68  x  1.13,  1.60  x  1.17,  1.60  x  1.17, 
1.68  X  1. 13. 

284.    Arenaria  melanocephala    (Vie.)    [510,] 

Blaok   Tnmatone. 

Hab.    Pacific  coait  of  North  America,  from  Alaska  to  Santa  Cruz  and  San  Minguel  Island. 

The  Black-headed  Turnstone  is  common  along  the  Pacific  coast 
of  North  America.  It  has  been  found  nesting  in  Alaska  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Yukon.  In  all  respects  its  habits,  nesting,  eggs,  etc.,  are  said  to 
be  similar  to  those  of  ^.  interpres.    The  eggs  average  1.62  x  1. 12. 

[285.]    HsBmatopus  ostralegns    Linn.    [506.] 

Oyater-oatoheri 

Hab.    Sea-ccasts  of  Europe,  portions  of  Asia  and  Africa;  occasional  in  Greenland, 

The  0)'ster-catcher  of  Europe  claims  a  place  in  the  North  Amer- 
ican fauna  from  its  occasional  occurrence  in  Greenland.  It  appears  to 
be  common  in  all  suitable  places  on  the  coasts  and  islands  of  Europe, 
extending  northward  to  the  northern  shores  of  Russia  and  Siberia, 
where  it  breeds  on  the  great  Arctic  flats.  Common  throughout  the 
summer  months  in  Denmark,  Sweden  and  on  the  west  shores  of  Nor- 
way. In  Great  Britain  the  Oyster-catcher  is  a  well  known  species, 
nesting  on  the  shores  and  islands  as  far  north  as  Orkney  and  Shetland. 
The  bird  breeds  generally  in  pairs,  but  in  some  instances  a  large  num- 
ber are  found  nesting  in  one  place.  Four  eggs  are  usually  laid  in  some 
cavity  in  the  sand  or  shingle.  Nests  have  been  found  on  the  top  of 
rocks,  ten  to  fifteen  feet  above  the  ground.  The  eggs  are  of  a  dull 
creamy  buff,  spotted  aud  blotched  with  brownish-black,  generally  over 
the  entire  egg.  Six  eggs  in  my  cabinet  from  England  measure 
2.15x1.57,  2.35x1.53,  2.16x1.56,  2.17x1.54,   2.32x1.50,  2.19x1.56. 

286.    Hsematopus  palliatus    Temm.    [507.] 

American    Oyster-oatoher. 

Hab.     Sea-coasts  of  America  from  Nova  Scotia  and  Southern  California,  south  to  Patagonia. 

The  Brown-bacLed  Oyster-catcher  breeds  along  the  Atlantic  coast 
from  New  Jersey  southward,  where  it  becomes  more  common.  It 
breeds  abundantly,  but  irregularly,  in  different  localities.  There  are 
extensive  breeding  resorts  along  the  coast  of  Virginia.  On  Cobb  3 
Island  it  was  tormerly  quite  common  during  the  breeding  season, 
where  now  only  a  few  pair  a^e  said  to  be  found  nesting.  It  is  common 
along  the  coast  of  Florida,  nesting  on  the  oeaches  and  depositing  three, 
sometimes  only  two,  eggs.  The  American  Oyster-catcher  is  an  abund- 
ant resident  throughout  the  Bahamas,  nesting  wherever  there  are  sandy 
beaches.  It  has  been  found  breeding  in  Galveston  Bay,  Texas,  in  June, 
and  on  islands  at  the  mouth  of  the  Rio  Grande.  The  eggs  are  creamy 
or  white,  spotted  aud  blotched  irrregularly  with  varying  shades  of 


136 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


iiy^ 


brown;  rather  oval  in  shape;  sizes  range  from  2.12  to  2.30  in  lenguh  by 
1.50  to  1.62  in  breadth.  Six  eggs  from  the  coast  of  Virginia  measure 
2.22x1.57,  2.23x1.58,  2.19x1.52,  2.15x1.52,  2.25x1.60,  2.21  X  1.57. 

287.    HsBmatopns  bachmani    Aud.    [508.] 

Blaok  Oyster-oatoher. 

Hab.  Pacific  coait  of  North  America  from  lower  California  north  to  the  Aleutian  Islands  and  across 
to  the  Kurilas. 

Bachman's  Oyster-catcher  is  a  characteristic  bird  of  the  Pacific 
coast,  being  more  common  to  the  north  than  to  the  south.  It  is  said 
to  be  partial  to  rocky  coasts  and  islands  and  not  always  met  with  on 
sand  beaches. 

I  am  informed  that  it  is  common  on  Santa  Cruz  Island  and  that  it 
breeds  on  the  outlying  rocks.  At  these  places  it  is  by  no  means  shy 
as  is  the  case  in  other  localities.  Breeds  on  all  suitable  islands  along 
the  Pacific  coast  from  Santa  Barbara  northward.  Mr.  Bryant  in  his  Fa- 
rallon  paper,*  remarks :  "  Flocks  of  five  to  ten  were  seen  in  May  and 
June,  1887.  They  were  very  tame,  feeding  slowly  and  quietly  along 
the  water's  edge  in  compact  flocks.  Upon  higher  ground  they  moved 
more  rapidly  and  spread  out  more.  Individuals  were  seen  as  late  as 
August,  but  they  do  not,  Mr.  Emerson  states,  breed  on  the  island.  A 
female  was  taken  July  26th,  1886."  A  few  are  known  to  breed  on  the 
Aleutian  Islands.  When  disturbed  the  birds  utter  a  peculiar  low 
whistle,  calling  to  one  another  for  hours  at  a  time.  The  eggs  are  two 
or  three  in  number,  light  olive-buff",  speckled  or  spotted  with  brown- 
ish black  and  purplish-gray.  Average  size  2.18x1.52.  They  are 
deposited  in  a  slight  cavity  in  the  gravel  or  on  the  bare  rock. 

[288.]    Jacana  gymnostoma    (Wagl.)    [568.] 


Hab. 


Mexican  Jacana. 

Valley  of  the  Lower  Rio  Grande,  Texas,  south  into  Central  America,  Panama,  Cuba,  Hayti. 


A  bird  which  combines  the  characters  of  the  Plover  and  the  Rail 
but  outwardly  distingiiished  from  either  by  the  excessive  development 
of  the  toes  and  particularly  the  claws.  These  are  slender,  compressed, 
nearly  or  quite  straight,  that  of  the  hallux  much  longer  than  its  digit. 
The  spread  of  feet  thus  acquired  enables  the  bird  to  run  quite  easily 
over  floating  vegetation  in  the  marshes.  Dr.  James  C.  Merrill  met 
with  the  present  species  near  Fort  Brown,  in  Southwestern  Texas,  in 
the  early  part  of  August,  1876.  The  bird  is  common  throughout  the 
whole  of  Middle  America,  Mexico  and  Central  America  to  Panama,  in- 
habiting the  dense  marshes  of  these  regions,  nesting  like  the  Rails. 

The  eggs  are  of  a  rounded-oval  shape,  ground  color,  bright  drab 
or  tawny  olive,  marked  over  the  surface  with  a  confused  net-work  of 

^■Birds  and  Eggs  from  the  Farallon  Islands. 


NORTH  AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


black,  or  dark  brown  wavy  stripes,  blotches  and  lines.    Average  size, 
1.22  X  .94. 

289.    Golinns  virginianns    (Linn.)    [480.] 

Bob-w^lilt*. 

Hab.  Eastern  United  States;  west  to  Dakota,  Kansas,  Indian  Territory  and  Eastern  Texas.  North 
to  Southern  Maine  and  Southern  Canada;  south  to  the  Atlantic  and  Gulf  States. 

The  celebrated  game  bird  of  Eastern  United  States.  In  the  two 
southern  extremes  of  its  habitat  it  is  found  in  two  light  and  dark  cli- 
matic varieties,  as  below.  Found  throughout  the  .greater  portion  of  the 
year  in  coveys ;  in  the  early  spring  paring,  each  pair  selecting  a  particu- 
lar locality  where  they  remain  during  the  summer  months.  Where 
mating  has  taken  place  the  male's  well-known  mellow  notes, — Bob- 
white^  Bob-white,  may  be  heard  at  short  intervals  echoing  throughout 
the  woodland.  The  favorite  nesting  places  of  this  bird  are  on  the 
ground  in  corners  of  rail  fences,  at  the  foot  of  stumps  surrounded  by  a 
thick  growth  of  vegetation,  in  gardens  or  cultivated  fields  where  there 
are  bunches  of  tall  grass  or  weeds.  Two  and  sometimes  three  broods 
are  reared  in  a  season  and  nesting  begins  as  early  as  May  ist.  The 
nest  is  often  made  in  close  proximity  to  the  farm  house.  It  is  rarely 
built  in  thick  woods.  Dr.  Jones  mentions  a  nest  which  he  found 
alongside  a  railroad  track.*  It  is  usually  constructed  of  dry  grasses, 
straws,  leaves  or  weeds.  The  complement  of  eggs  is  from  fifteen  to 
twenty-five,  often  only  twelve,  but  usually  about  eighteen.  They  are 
pure  white  unless  stained  by  the  bed  of  grass  upon  which  they  lay. 
At  one  end  they  are  quite  pointed,  at  the  other  obtusely  rounded ;  size 
1. 20  x. 95. 

289a.    Colinus  vlrglnlanus  floridantis    (Coues.)    [480a.] 

„  ,      „.    . .  Florida   Bob--arIilte. 

Hab.     Florida. 

A  darker  colored  bird  than  C.  virginianus.  General  habits,  nest- 
ing and  eggs  the  same.     Eggs,  1.19X  .92. 

289*.    Colinus  virginianus  texanus    (Lawr.)    [480^.] 

Texan    Bob-w^hite. 

Hab.    Texas  and  Northern  Mexico,  north  to  Western  Kansas. 

A  bird  of  paler  color  than  the  C.  v.floridanus.  Eggs  smaller  than 
C.  virginianus ^  1.17X.91. 

292.    Oreortyx  plctus    (Dougl.)    [481.] 

Mountain   Partridge. 

Hab.     Pacific  coast  from  San  Francisco  north  to  Washington  Territory. 

The  beautiful  Mountain  or  Plumed  Partridge  is  a  much  larger  and 
handsomer  bird  than  the  Bob-white.  The  head  is  adorned  with  two 
arrow-like  plumes  three  or  four  inches  in  length ;  these  are  noticeable  in 

'Illustrations  of  the  Nests  and  Egg  of  Birds  of  Ohio. 


m 


■r. 


I 


f 

e 
r- 


138 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


the  chick  just  from  the  egg,  in  the  form  of  a  little  tuft  of  down.  The 
general  slate  and  olive  color  of  the  adult  is  beautifully  marked  with 
white  along  the  sides,  inner  secondaries  of  the  wings,  sides  of  the  neck, 
etc.  The  bird  is  found  breeding  along  the  Pacific  coast  region  from 
California  north  into  Washington  Territory.  Mr.  Emerson  informs  me 
that  it  breeds  in  the  higher  mountain  ranges,  not  below  4,000  feet.  In 
some  portions  of  Oregon  it  is  very  abundant.  The  eggs  are  deposited 
on  the  ground,  on  a  bed  of  dead  leaves,  under  a  bush  or  tuft  of  grass 
oi  weeds.  Six  to  twelve  are  usually  laid,  of  a  cream  color  with  a  red- 
dish tint.  Dr.  Coues  describes  the  eggs  as  miniatures  of  the  Ruffed 
Grouse's,  only  distinguishable  by  their  smaller  size,  1.36x1.02. 

292a.    Oreortjrx  pictns  plumiferus    (Gould.)    [481a.] 

Plumed  Partridgei 

Sierra  Nevada  ranges  from  Oregon  southward;  coast  ranges  of  California  to  Cape  St.  Lucas. 

This  sub-species,  which  very  much  resembles  O.  pictus^  inhabits 
both  sides  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  Mountains  from  Eastern  Oregon 
southward,  through  the  coast  ranges  of  California.  Its  general  habits, 
nesting,  eggs,  etc.,  are  the  same  as  those  of  the  Mountain  Partridge. 
The  eggs  are  creamy-buff,  of  varying  shades,  and  their  average  size  is 
1.40  X  1.02. 

293.    Callipepla  squamata    (Vig.)    [484] 

Scaled  Partridge. 

Hab.  Northwestern  Mexico  and  border  of  the  United  States,  from  Western  Texas  to  New  Mexico 
and  Southern  Arizona. 

This  handsome  Partridge,  called  Blue  Quail,  is  distributed 
throughout  Northwestern  Mexico,  Western  Texas,  New  Mexico  and 
Arizona,  but  is  said  to  be  less  numerous  than  the  crested  Partridges  or 
Quails.  In  Arizona  they  are  found  in  flocks  of  from  six  to  ten,  some- 
times more  in  the  most  barren  places,  miles  away  from  any  water. 
Mr.  W.  E.  D.  Scott  found  this  Quail  as  abundant  on  the  dry  mesas  of 
the  San  Pedro  slope  of  the  Santa  Catalina  Mountains,  up  to  an  altitude 
of  3,500  feet,  as  its  congener  C.  gambeli.  At  this  altitude  Mr.  Scott  found 
a  nest,  May  20,  containing  eleven  eggs.*  It  inhabits  a  more  open 
country  than  gambeli  and  in  other  localities  large  flocks  of  both 
species  were  often  seen  together.  A  slight  depression  under  a  bush 
serves  as  a  nest,  it  is  generally  lined  with  a  few  coarse  grasses.  In 
Western  Texas  complete  sets  of  eggs  may  be  found  as  early  as  April 
25.  The  eggs  are  extremely  thick-shelled  ;  the  number  laid  ranges 
from  eight  to  sixteen,  twelve  being  the  more  common  number.  Their 
color  is  buffy-white  or  of  a  cream  color,  irregularly  dotted  with  specks 
of  light  brown ;   size  1.24X.94. 

»Auk.  in,  pp.  387-388. 


11 


Hab. 


.     NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 

293  a.    Galllpepla  sqnaicata  castanogastris    Brewst. 

Oh«atnnt-1>eUl*d  Scaled  Partridge. 

Eastern  Mexico  and  Lower  Rio  Grande  of  Texas. 


139 


This  bird  is  like  the  last  but  the  general  coloring  is  deeper  and 
richer.  The  bird  appears  to  inhabit  the  low  lands  along  the  lower  Rio 
Grande  Valley,  while  C.  squamata  inhabits  the  table  lands  of  North- 
western Mexico,  Western  Texas,  New  Mexico  and  Arizona. 

Mr.  George  H.  Ragsdale,  of  Gainesville,  Texas,  kindly  sent  me 
four  eggs  of  this  bird  for  inspection  ;  these  have  a  ground  color  vary- 
ing from  white  to  a  buflf  with  the  surface  marked  with  minute  specks 
of  reddish-brown.  In  a  specimen  having  a  white  ground  the  mark- 
ings have  a  purplish  tint.  The  shape  of  the  eggs  is  characteristic  of 
all  eggs  of  the  Partridges.  The  sizes  of  the  four  specimens  are,  1.17X 
.94,  1. 13  X. 92,  1. 15  x. 94,  1. 16  X. 93. 

Capt.  B.  F.  Goss  has  a  set  of  ten  eggs  of  this  Partridge  taken 
May  14,  1886,  in  Western  Texas.  They  are  dull  white  speckled  all 
over  with  fine  dots  of  diflferent  shades  of  brown.  Some  of  the  eggs 
have  a  few  small  brown  spots  on  them  more  than  a  sixteenth  of  an 
inch  in  diameter ;  they  resemble  the  eggs  of  the  Scaled  Partridge,  but 
are  more  thinly  speckled  and  much  lighter  in  color.  Sizes,  1.25  x. 99, 
1.17x1.00,1.24x1.06,1.26x1.05,  1.26X.99,  1.24x1.05,  1. 25 X. 99,  1.27 
xi.oo,  1. 27 X. 99,  1.28x1.00.  The  nest  from  which  these  eggs  were 
taken  was  on  the  ground  and  made  of  leaves  and  dry  grass. 
294.    Galllpepla  callfornica    (Shaw.)    [482.] 

California  Partridge. 

Hab,     Coast  valleys  from  California  to  Washington  Territory. 

The  Californian  Partridge  or  Valley  Quail  inhabits  the  lower  por- 
tions of  California  and  Oregon,  where  it  is  very  abundant,  and  also 
Eastward  nearly  to  the  Colorado  River.  The  nest  is  made  on  the 
ground,  and  is  often  found  in  curious  places.  Mr.  Emerson  says  it  is 
sometimes  placed  in  the  garden,  within  twenty  feet  of  the  doorway ; 
he  saw  eggs  of  this  Quail  laid  in  the  nest  of  chickens  that  had  hidden 
their  nests  in  the  barn-yard,  and  it  is  commonly  found  under  hedges, 
bushes,  brush-heaps ;  even  in  the  grass  by  the  wayside.  Mr.  Bryant 
mentions  several  cases  of  this  bird's  nesting  in  trees  upon  the  end  of  a 
broken  or  decayed  limb,  or  at  the  intersection  of  two  large  branches. 
One  case  he  cites  of  a  brood  being  hatched  in  a  vine-covered  trellis  at 
the  front  door  of  a  popular  seminary.'^ 

Mr.  H.  R.  Taylor,  of  Alameda,  California,  records  a  nest  of  the 
Spurred  Towhee  on  the  ground  in  which  were  four  eggs  of  the  Towhee 
and  two  of  the  California  Quail.f 

■"Unusual  Nesting  Sites,  I.    Bull.  Cal.  Acad.  Sci.  II,  451. 
t  Ornithologist  and  Oologist,  Vol.  X,  p.  142. 


140 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


ii;;i:i. 


The  eggs  of  this  species  are  most  beautifully  marked  on  a  creamy- 
white  ground  with  scattered  spots  and  blotches  of  old  gold,  and  some- 
times light  drab  and  chestnut-red.  In  a  large  series  of  specimens  sent 
me  by  Mr.  Arnold  Boyle,  collected  in  the  vicinity  of  Banning,  Cali- 
fornia, there  is  a  striking  variation  in  this  respect.  In  some  speci- 
mens the  gold  coloring  is  so  pronounced  that  it  strongly  suggests  to 
the  imagination  that  this  Quail  feeds  upon  the  grains  of  the  precious 
metal  which  characterizes  its  home,  and  that  the  pigment  thereof  is 
imparted  to  the  eggs.  The  number  laid  ranges  from  eight  to  twenty- 
four.  In  shape  they  are  like  those  of  the  Bob-white.  Ten  selected 
eggs  measure  1.13  x  .90,  1.18  x  .93,  1.19  x  .93,  1.19  x  .94,  1.23  x  .90,  1.27 
X.96,  1.30  X. 95,  1.32  X. 95,   133  X. 97,  1.35  X. 94.     The  average  size  is 

1.23  X  .94. 

294a.    Gallipepla  californica  vallicola    Ridgw. 

Valley  Partridge. 

Hab.  Interior  regions  of  California  and  Oregon,  south  to  Cape  St.  Lucas. 

This  variety,  which  is  very  similar  to  the  last  species,  is  common 
to  the  interior  valleys  and  foot-hills  of  the  Pacific  Province.  There  is 
essentially  no  difference  between  the  eggs  of  this  bird  and  those  of 

C.  californica. 

295.  Gallipepla  gambell    (Nutt.)    [483.] 

Gambera    Partridge. 

Hab.    Northwestern  Mexico,  Arizona,  New  Mexico,  Southern  Utah  and  Western  Texas. 

A  characteristic  game  bird  of  Arizona  and  New  Mexico ;  abundant 
on  mountains  and  in  valleys.  It  is  found  as  far  east  as  Western  Texas, 
west  to  the  Colorado  River,  north  to  Southern  Utah.  In  Texas  it  is 
replaced  by  the  Massena  Quail.  Mr.  W.  E.  D.  Scott  found  it  distrib- 
uted throughout  the  entire  Catalina  region  in  Arizona  below  an  altitude 
of  5,000  feet.  By  the  middle  of  April,  on  the  San  Pedro  slope  of  the 
Catalina  mountains  most  of  the  birds  are  paired,  and  breeding  has  fairly 
begun.  About  Tucson  the  breeding  season  begins  from  three  weeks 
to  one  month  earlier.*    This  bird  is  also  known  as  the  Arizona  Quail. 

The  nest  is  like  that  of  any  other  partridge,  placed  on  the  ground, 
sometimes  without  any  lining.  The  eggs  are  from  eight  to  sixteen  in 
number  and  they  do  not  differ  from  those  of  the  C.  califortiica.  The 
average  size  of  thirty  specimens  is  1.27  x  .98. 

296.  Cyrtonyx  montezumse    (Vig.)    [485-] 

Massena    Partridge. 

Hab.  Western  and  Central  Mexico,  from  Mazatlan  and  Valley  of  Mexico  north  to  Western  Texas, 
New  Mexico  and  Arizona. 

In  Arizona  this  bird  is  known  as  "  Fool  Quail "  or  "  Fool  Hen." 
Mr.  Scott  mentions  finding  it  common  in  the  evergreen  oak  region  of 

"Auk.  Vol.  Ill,  p.  388-889. 


II 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


lil. 


in 
the 


the  Pinal  Mountains,  near  the  head  of  Mineral  Creek  in  Arizona  and 
about  as  abundant  in  the  same  localities  on  the  San  Pedro  slope  of  the 
Catalina  Mountains,  ranging  up  as  high  as  5,700  feet  and  as  low  as 
4,000  feet  throughout  the  year.  It  was  generally  met  with  in  coveys 
of  six  to  a  dozen  birds.  Prof.  Ridgway  describes  an  egg  as  plain 
white,  size,  1.2 1  x  .90,  and  states  that  identification  is  very  doubtful.* 

297.    Dendragapus  obscurus    (Say.)    [471.I 

Diuky    Grouse. 

Hab.  Rocky  Mountaint,  west  to  Wahsatch,  north  to  Central  Montana,  south  to  New  Mexico  and 
Ariiona. 

The  Dusky  Grouse  in  its  several  geographical  garbs  is  distributed 
chiefly  throughout  the  wooded  and  especially  the  evergreen  regions  of 
the  United  States,  from  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  the  Pacific  and  north- 
ward into  British  America.  In  the  mountains  of  Colorado  this  species 
is  found  on  the  border  of  timber  line  throughout  the  year,  going  above 
in  the  fall  for  their  principal  food  —  grasshoppers.  In  summer  its  flesh 
is  said  to  be  excellent,  but  when  frost  has  cut  short  their  diet  of  insects 
and  berries  they  feed  on  spruce  needles  and  their  flesh  acquires  a  strong 
flavor.  In  its  habits  it  resembles  the  Ruffed  Grouse.  It  nests  on  the 
the  ground,  often  under  shelter  of  a  hollow  log  or  projecting  rock,  with 
merely  a  few  pine  needles  scratched  together  on  which  the  eggs  are 
laid.  The  eggs  are  buff  or  cream  color,  marked  all  over  with  small 
round  spots  of  umber-brown,  but  generally  more  numerous  toward  the 
greater  end  ;  eight  to  fifteen  are  laid  ;  average  size  1.98  x  1.42. 

297a.    Dendragapus  obscurus  fuUglnosus    Ridgw.    [471a.] 

Sooty    Oronse. 

Hab.    Mountains  near  the  Pacific  coait  from  Sitka,  south  to  California. 

A  darker  colored  bird  than  D.  obscurus. 

Mr.  A.  W.  Anthony  records  this  Grouse  as  abundant  in  Wash- 
ington county,  in  the  northern  part  of  Oregon.f  He  states  that  in  the 
winter  the  bird  remains  high  up  in  the  firs  and  is  very  seldom  seen. 
At  the  first  indication  of  spring  the  males  begin  to  "  hoot."  This  is 
not  dissimilar  to  the  **  boomiiig  "  of  the  Prairie  Hen,  and  when  uttering 
these  love  notes  the  bird  may  usually  be  seen  about  fifty  or  seventy-five 
feet  from  the  ground  in  a  thick  fir.  The  note  is  repeated  from  five  to 
seven  times.  Mr.  Anthony  says :  "  This  Grouse  is  an  accomplished 
ventriloquist ;  I  have  often  looked  for  an  hour  for  one  supposed  to  be 
fifty  yards  in  front  of  me  to  fiind  it  as  far  in  the  rear.  Nests  found  in 
May  contained  from  five  to  seven  eggs.  A  set  of  seven  eggs  of  this 
bird  in  the  collection  of  Capt.  B.  F.  Goss,  was  taken  June  ist,  1837,  at 

<■  Manual  of  North  American  Birds,  p.  194. 

t  Auk.,  Vol.  Ill,  p.  164.    Field  notes  on  the  Birds  of  Washington  County,  Oregon. 


i.'ir 


\ 


142 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


I 


Oakland,  Oregon.  The  nest  was  placed  on  the  ground.  The  eggs  are 
creamy  buflf,  spotted  and  speckled  with  reddish  brown  ;  the  spots  are 
small  and  scattered,  most  of  them  sharply  defined  ;  the  measurements 
of  the  seven  eggs  are  as  follows:  1.87x1.38,  1.81x1.33,  1.78x1.33, 
1.86x1.37,  1.88x1.36,  1.80  X  1.34,  1.83x1.35. 

2973.    Dendragapns  obBcurns  richardsonli    (Sab.)    [471 3.] 

Rlohardaon'a    Oroiu*. 

Hab.  Northern  Rocky  Mountains  of  the  United  States — Central  Montana  northward  into  British 
America. 

This  race  is  more  or  less  common  in  the  various  mountain  ranges 
of  Montana.  Its  general  habits  do  not  appear  to  be  different  from  those 
of  D.  obscurus.  The  birds  prefer  rough  and  rocky  ledges  with  only  a 
moderate  growth  of  fir  to  the  denser  forests.  Occasionally  they  are 
found  away  from  the  mountains  in  scattered  clumps  of  fir  growing 
on  the  high  bluffs  or  growing  on  some  of  the  streams.  Their 
"  tooting  "  is  a  low,  muffled  sort  of  cooing,  uttered  without  vigor  or 
any  apparent  effort  on  the  bird's  part,  which  may  be  squatting  on 
some  rock  at  the  time. 

The  eggs  are  cream  color,  marked  with  small  dots  of  reddish- 
brown ;  average  size  1.84x1.30.  They  are  not  distinguishable  from 
those  of  D.  obscurus,  and  the  nesting  habits  are  the  same. 

298.    Dendragapns  canadensis    (Linn.)    [473.] 

Canada  Oronae. 

Hab.  Northern  North  America,  east  of  Rocky  Mountains,  from  the  Northern  portions  of  New 
England,  New  York,  Michigan  and  Minnesota  to  Alaska. 

Known  as  the  Spruce  or  Wood  Partridge,  Canada,  Black  or  Spot- 
ted Grouse,  and  found  in  all  favorable  localities,  especially  the  spruce 
forests  and  swamp  regions  from  Northern  United  States  northward,  as 
far  as  the  woods  extend  in  the  Arctic  regions,  and  it  has  been  found 
breeding  in  Northern  Alaska.  Audubon  found  it  breeding  in  the 
vicinity  of  Eastport,  Maine,  in  the  interior  recesses  of  almost  impene- 
trable woods  of  hackmatack  or  larches.  He  ^d  that  the 
birds  breed  in  the  neighborhood  about  the  n  ,  which  is  a 
month  earlier  than  they  do  in  Labra  les  -  season  the 
males  produce  the  same  well-known  ai.  ^»ecuii  Jruiuming  as  does 
the  Ruffed  Grouse.  The  female  constructs  ?  uest  of  a  bed  of  dry 
twigs,  leaves  and  mosses,  and  is  usually  carefully  hidden,  on  the 
ground,  under  low  horizontal  branches  of  fir  trees ;  it  is  gene  Uy 
placed  in  quiet  and  swampy  localities. 

The  eggs  are  of  a  buffy  or  reddish  brown  color,  irrc  irly 
splashed,  dotted  and  spotted  with  different  tints  of  brown ;  eig       to 


.^^j-iMaBiTjaagaitwiiaUaM'j 


NORTH  AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


143 


sh 
!S 

;e 
a 
:e 

g 
ir 

3r 

>n 

b- 
rn 


fourteen  in  number ;  average  size  of  ten  eggs  is  1.70X  1.20.    The  shape 
is  characteristic,  being  like  those  of  the  Ptarmigan  in  form. 

Mr.  J.  Parker  Norris  has  sent  me  the  following  interesting  account 
of  the  breeding  of  the  Canada  Grouse  in  captivity.  It  forms  the  basis 
of  an  article  which  is  shortly  to  appear  in  The  Ornithologist  and 
Oohgist : 

"  Mr. Watson  Bishop,  of  Kentville,  N.  S.,wrote  me  that  it  is  almost 
impossible  to  find  the  nest  of  this  species  in  its  wild  state,  and  being 
desirous  of  obtaining  some  of  their  eggs,  he  built  an  enclosure  about 
thirty  feet  square,  and  high  enough  to  walk  about  in,  out  of  strips  of 
board  three  inches  wide,  leaving  spaces  of  about  two  inches  between 
them  to  let  in  light  and  air.  He  then  caught  six  hens  and  one  cock. 
They  became  very  tame  in  the  course  of  time,  and  seemed  perfectly 
satisfied  with  their  new  home.  They  did  not  appear  frightened  when 
Mr.  Bishop  went  in  to  feed  them,  and  came  around  him  just  like 
domestic  fowls. 

"  The  male  bird  strutted  before  the  hens  after  the  manner  of  birds 
of  this  family,  and  in  course  of  time  the  hens  began  to  lay.  Separate 
compartments  were  furnished  them,  and  the  clutches  were  one  of  six- 
teen, one  of  fifteen,  two  of  thirteen,  one  of  eleven  and  one  of  eight 
eggs. 

"  Mr.  Bishop  very  kindly  presented  me  the  set  of  eight  eggs,  and 
they  are  now  in  my  cabinet.  They  closely  resemble  the  eggs  figured 
by  Mr.  Capen  in  his  Oology  of  New  England^  but  the  ground  color  is 
of  a  more  reddish  tint.     R  ;garding  the  other  sets  Mr.  Bishop  says: 

"  The  set  of  sixteen  are  more  rounded.  The  largest  egg  measures 
1. 71  X  1.26,  the  next  largest,  1.67  x  1.26,  and  the  smallest,  1.60  x  1.24. 
The  ground  color  is  of  a  deep  cream  tint,  thickly  spotted.  The 
set  of  fifteen  have  a  much  deeper  ground  color,  inclining  to  bufFy  red, 
and  are  also  thickly  spotted  with  deep  red.  The  largest  is  1.75  x  1.24, 
the  smallest,  1.73  x  1.24,  and  they  are  more  pointed  at  the  smaller  end 
than  the  preceding  set.  One  set  of  thirteen  was  laid  by  a  young  hen, 
and  measure:  Largest,  1.71x1.23;  smallest,  1.60x1.28.  They  are  very 
even  in  size,  and  ground  color,  which  is  of  a  deep  cream ;  but  the 
spotting  varies  in  intensity.  The  other  set  of  thirteen  measure: 
Largest,  1.85 x  1.22 ;  smallest,  1.78X  1.21,  and  are  quite  pointed.  Ground 
color  not  as  dark  as  the  set  of  eight,  and  they  are  finely  dotted  all 
over.    When  first  laid  the  colors  are  easily  rubbed  off. 

**  They  are  very  handsome  eggs,  and  Mr.  Bishop  is  certainly  to  be 
congratulated  on  the  success  of  his  experiment." 


n 


f 
e 
r- 


m 


|||!- 


144 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


f 


299.    Dendragapns  fraukllnii    (  Dougl.)    [472a.] 


FranUin't  Oroue. 

Hab.  Northern  Rocky  Mountains,  west  to  the  Pacific  coast;    chiefly  north  to  the  United  States, 

This  bird  is  held  by  some  authorities  as  a  mere  variety  of  D. 
canadensis.  It  is  confined  to  the  territory  between  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains and  the  Pacific  coast,  chiefly  in  British  America.  Its  habits  in 
all  respects  are  identical  with  those  of  canadetisis.  The  nest  is  made 
on  the  ground,  of  dry  leaves  and  grass,  often  at  the  foot  of  decayed 
stumps,  or  by  the  side  of  fallen  timber  in  dense  mountain  woods.  The 
eggs  average  iu  size  1.68  x  1.24. 

300,    Bonasa  umbellus    (Linn.)    [473.] 

Rnffed  Oronae. 

Hab.   Eastern  United  States,  south  to  North  Carolina,  Georgia,  Mississippi  and  Arkansas. 

The  Ruffed  Grouse,  "  Pheasant  "  or  *'  Partridge,"  is  a  noted  game 
bird  distributed  in  wooded  districts  throughout  Eastern  United  States. 
At  the  limits  of  its  habitat  it  is  found  in  several  geographical  races  as 
given  below. 

Its  habits  in  many  respects  differ  from  those  of  the  Prairie  Hen ; 
the  latter  is  found  on  open  plains,  while  the  Grouse  is  rarely  met  with 
there.  The  food  of  the  two  species  is  very  similar,  making  the  differ- 
ence in  their  respective  abodes  quite  striking.  The  well-known 
drumming  of  the  male  birds  is  made  during  the  love  season,  which 
commences  in  March.  The  sound  is  produced  by  the  bird  while 
standing  on  a  fallen  log  or  elevated  rock  in  the  most  retired  portion 
of  the  woods ;  the  wings  are  lowered,  tail  expanded,  the  neck  con- 
tracted, and  the  entire  body  seems  inflated.  The  tufts  of  neck  feath- 
ers are  elevated,  the  bird  all  the  while  strutting  about  iu  the  most 
pompous  manner  possible  to  imagine,  striking  the  sides  of  his  body 
with  rapid  strokes  of  his  wings.  These  become  so  rapid  that  the 
sound  thus  produced  resembles  the  rumblings  of  remote  thunder,  and 
the  sounds  always  seem  nearer  than  they  really  are. 

Under  favorable  circumstances  this  Grouse  not  infrequently  rears 
two  broods  between  the  first  of  April  and  the  middle  of  October.  The 
nest  is  usually  situated  at  the  border  of  a  large  woods  in  the  midst  of 
dense  undergrowth,  often  in  a  thicket,  not  far  from  the  road-side, 
and  very  frequently  the  birds  venture  to  construct  it  in  a  small 
woods  adjoining  a  farm  house.  The  position  of  the  nest  is  on  the 
ground  beside  a  log  or  stump,  or  in  a  brush-heap,  or  under  the 
branches  of  a  fallen  tree.  It  is  constructed  of  decayed  leaves,  a  few 
feathers,  roots,  etc.  From  six  to  fifteen  eggs  are  deposited,  usually 
ten  or  twelve ;  they  are  of  a  cream  color  of  various  shades,  sometimes 


';MW>ltf»i''n«iir->iT>iwniUi 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


145 


Its 


111 


so  dark  as  to  be  nearly  brownish,  and  in  others  the  surface  is  almost 
milk-white.  They  are  often  stained  in  wet  weather  by  the  leaves  upon 
which  they  lie,  and  are  sometimes  faintly  blotched  or  speckled  with 
shades  of  brown. 

Mr.  L.  Jones,  of  Grinnell,  Iowa,  writes  that  the  eggs  in  that 
vicinity  are  deposited  about  May  first. 

Ten  eggs  measure  1.64x1.10,  1.51x1.13,  1.54x1.13,  1.54x1.14, 
1.51  X  1. 12,  1.56  X  1. 13,  1.53  X  1. 13,  1.55  x  1. 14,  1.53  X  1. 12,  1.57  X  1.14. 

300a.     Bonasa  umbellus  togata    (Linn.) 

Canadian  Rnfifed  Grouse. 

Hab.    Eastern  Oregon  and  Washington  Territory,  east  to  Moose  Factory,  Nova  Scotia,  Maine,  etc. 

Eggs  supposed  to  belong  to  this  darker  colored  varie'y  of  Rufl'ed 
Grouse  in  my  collection  from  Northern  Maine  do  not  differ  from  those 
of  ^.  umbellus. 

300/'.    Bonasa  umbellus  umbelloides    (Dougl.)     [473<'=] 

Gray  Ruffed  Grouse. 

Hnb.    Rocky  Mountain  Region  north  to  Aiaska,  east  to  Manitoba. 

The  upper  parts  of  this  bird  are  mostly  or  entirely  grayish,  and 
the  tail  is  always  of  a  gray  color.  It  is  found  in  the  wooded  districts 
of  the  Rocky  Mountain  region  of  the  United  States,  and  as  far  north 
as  the  Vukon  Valley  in  Alaska,  in  British  America,  east  to  Manitoba. 

Captain  Goss  has  a  set  of  five  eggs  of  this  bird  taken  at  Estes  Park, 
Colorado,  j\Iay  28,  1884.  They  are  creamy  buff;  some  of  the  speci- 
mens are  almost  or  quite  immaculate,  others  are  faintly  and  sparingly 
spotted  with  lilac  brown.  The  eggs  in  this  set  are  smaller  in  size  and 
less  spotted  than  the  usual  spotted  examples  of  B.  umbellus^  and  unless 
closely  examined  the  markings  would  scarcely  be  noticed.  These 
eggs  were  taken  from  a  nest  on  the  ground ;  the  sizes  are  as  follows : 
1.47X  I. II,  1.45  X  1. 12,  1.44X  1. 12,  1.42  X  1. 15. 

300<:.    Bonasa  umbeJlus  sabini    (Dougl.)    [473-J.l 

Oregon  Ruffed  Grouse. 

Hab     Northwest  coast,  from  Northern  California  to  }?ritish  Columbia. 

This  sub-species  resembles  B.  umbellus^  but  the  upper  parts  are 
darker  rusty-brown ;  the  tail  is  also  usually  deep  rusty  color,  rarely 
grayish.     It  is  known  as  the  Red  Ruffed  Grouse. 

Mr.  Norris  has  a  set  of  eggs  of  this  bird  which  are  spotted.  Six 
eggs  collected  in  Coos  county,  Oregon,  April  28,  1880,  are  in  my  col- 
lection. Their  color  is  a  rich  creamy-white,  unspotted.  The  nest  was 
a  hollow  of  the  ground,  made  by  the  bird,  and  lined  with  leaves ;  it 
was  situated  partly  under  a  fallen  tree,  and  quite  hidden  by  a  growth 
of  bushes.    The  inside  diameter  of  the  nest  was  about  six  inches,  and 

11 


<i 


\m'- 


It 
If 


^ 


M 


/ 


146 


NESTS  AND   EGGS   OF 


the  depth  about  four.    The  eggs  exhibit  the  following  dimensions: 
1.55x1.16,  1.55x1.16,  1.55x1.15,  1.56x1.16,  1.57x1.17. 

301.    Lagopus  lagopus    (Linn.)    [474.I 

"Willoiir  Ptarmigan. 

Hab.  Northern  portions  of  Northern  Hemisphere;  in  North  America  south  in  winter  to  Sitka, 
northern  New  York,  etc. 

This  Ptarmigan  is  distributed  in  summer  throughout  Arctic 
America.  It  breeds  abundantly  in  the  valleys  of  the  Rocky  Mount- 
ains on  the  Barren  Grounds  and  along  the  Arctic  coasts.  The  winter 
dress  of  the  bird  is  snow  white,  with  the  central  tail  feathers  black, 
tipped  with  white.  In  summer,  the  head  and  neck  are  yellowish-red, 
back  black,  barred  rather  finely  with  yellowish-brown  and  chestnut ; 
most  of  the  wings  and  under  parts  remain  white  as  in  winter.  Large 
numbers  of  the  Willow  Ptarmigan  are  said  in  the  winter  to  shelter  in 
willow  thickets  and  dwarf  birches  on  the  banks  of  lakes  and  rivers, 
where  they  feed  on  the  buds  of  the  smaller  shrubs  which  form  their 
principal  food  at  that  season.  Their  favorite  resorts  in  daytime  are 
barren,  sandy  tracts  of  land,  but  they  pass  the  nights  in  holes  in  the 
snow.  When  pursued  by  sportsmen  or  birds  of  prey  they  are  said 
to  often  dive  into  the  loose  snow  and  work,  their  way  beneath  its 
surface. 

Mr.  MacFarlane  found  nests  of  this  species  in  the  Anderson  River 
region  early  in  June,  and  as  late  as  June  24th.  Others  were  found  on 
the  banks  of  the  Swan  River  as  late  as  June  27th,  containing  large 
embryos.  A  nest  observed  July  loth  contained  ten  perfectly  fresh 
eggs,  and  another  set  of  eggs  was  examined  July  22,  the  contents  of 
which  were  slightly  developed.  The  nests  made  on  the  ground  were 
mere  depressions,  generally  lined  with  leaves,  hay,  and  a  few  feathers 
from  the  birds  themselves.  The  same  nest  is  often  occupied  in  suc- 
cessive seasons.  The  largest  number  of  eggs  taken  by  Mr.  MacFar- 
lane was  ten,  but  the  female  is  said  to  lay  as  many  as  sixteen.  A  few 
of  this  species  breed  in  various  parts  of  Alaska.  Mr.  Dall  took  eggs 
near  the  mouth  of  the  Yukon  in  the  latter  part  of  June.  The  eggs 
have  a  ground  color  varying  from  pale  yellowish-buff  to  deep  chest- 
nut-brown, more  or  less  sprinkled,  speckled,  spotted  or  marbled  with 
rich  brown  or  black.     Average  size  1.78  x  1.25. 

302.    Lagopus  rupestris    (Gmel.)    [47S0 

Rook  Ptarmigan. 

Hab.  Arctic  America  in  general,  except  northern  extremity  of  Peninsula  of  Labrador  and  region 
thence  northward,  Greenland  and  the  Aleutian  Islands;  southeastward  to  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrenee,  Island 
of  Anticosti. 

The  Rock  Ptarmigan  is  somewhat  smaller  than  the  foregoing  and 


••^sMliaMMMCH 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


147 


the  summer  and  winter  dress  is  similar.  The  general  mode  of  living 
is  said  to  be  the  same,  but  it  does  not  retire  very  far  into  wooded  dis- 
tricts in  winter,  frequenting  the  more  open  woodland  on  the  border  of 
lakes,  especially  on  the  skirts  of  the  Barren  Lands.  Mr.  MacFarlane 
found  this  species  breeding  in  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Anderson,  incubat- 
ing in  June,  and  young  birds  of  goodly  size  were  observed  June  30. 
The  nests  were  placed  on  the  ground  and  were  of  the  same  composi- 
tion as  those  of  L.  lagopus.  The  eggs  with  certainty  cannot  be  dis- 
tinguished from  those  of  the  Willow  Ptarmigan,  but  are  described  as 
usually  less  heavily  spotted  or  less  densely  marked  —  averaging  lighter 
in  color  and  less  in  size,  1.70  x  1.18. 

302a.    Lagopus  rupestris  reinhardti    (Brehm.) 

Reliiliardt'8  Ptarmigan. 

Hab.   GreenlaQd  and  western  shores  of  Cumberland  Gulf,  and  northern  extremity  of  Labrador. 

The  general  appearance,  summer  dress,  etc.,  of  the  Greenland 
Ptarmigan  is  similar  to  that  of  the  foregoing.  It  is  found  in  Green- 
land and  the  islands  on  the  western  side  of  Cumberland  Gulf  and 
Northern  Labrador.  The  eggs  are  described  as  being  similar  to  those 
of  L.  rupestris^  averaging  1.65  x  1. 17. 

304.     Lagopus  leucurus    Swains.    [476.] 

White-tailed  Ptarmigan. 

Hab.  Alpine  summits  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  south  to  New  Mexico,  north  into  Britiih  Provinces; 
west  to  the  higher  ranges  of  Oregon,  Washington  Territory,  and  British  Columbia. 

The  Rocky  Mountain  Snow  Grouse  inhabits  the  Alpine  regions  of 
Western  North  America  from  British  America  south  to  New  Mexico. 
In  summer  it  is  found  on  the  mountain  ranges  from  the  timber  line  to 
the  highest  peaks;  at  this  season,  the  upper  parts  of  the  plumage  of 
this  species  are  minutely  marked  with  black,  white,  grayish-brown 
and  tawny,  with  the  tail,  wing  and  lower  parts  white.  In  winter  the 
plumage  is  entirely  white.  Mr.  Dille  informs  me  that  it  breeds  com- 
monly in  Lamar  county,  Colorado,  making  the  nest  in  some  cavity 
among  rocks  above  high  timber  line.  The  nest  is  scantily  made  of  a 
few  grasses.  The  eggs  are  from  eight  to  fifteen  in  number,  generally 
eight  or  nine,  creamy-ground  color,  marked  very  finely  over  the  entire 
surface  with  umber-brown.  The  surface  is  often  almost  entirely  hid- 
den by  the  heavy  markino-s.  Average  size  1.68x1.15.  Mr.  Dille 
states  that  the  eggs  are  deposited  early  in  June. 

305.     Tympanuchus  americanus    (Reich.)    [477-] 

Prairie  Men.  # 

Hab.  Prairies  of  the  Mississippi  Valley,  south  to  Louisiana  and  Texas,  west  to  Middle  Kansas, 
Nebraska  and  Dakot.^:  north  to  Wisconsin,  easi  to  Indiana,  Ohio  and  Kentucky. 

The  Prairie  Hen  or  Pinnated  Grouse  is  a  well  known  game  bird, 


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*  The  Lesser  Prairie   Hen,   Tympanuchus  pallidicinctus  {  Ridgw.)  inhabits  the  warmer  and  drytr 
regions  of  the  Southwestern  Prairies  —  border  of  the  Great  Plains,  from  Texas  northward. 


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148 


NSSTS   AND   EGGS   OF 


once  dispersed  throughout  the  United  States ;  at  present  it  is  found 
especially  common  in  Indiana,  Illinois,  Iowa,  Missouri,  Arkansas, 
Texas  and  Louisiana,  Middle  and  Eastern  Kansas  and  Nebraska.  It 
is  a  rare  resident  in  Northwestern  Ohio,  and  probably  breeds.  In 
Kansas  the  birds  begin  laying  the  last  of  April.  The  nest  is  placed 
on  the  ground  in  the  thick  prairie  grass,  and  at  the  ibot  of  bushes  on 
the  barren  ground ;  a  hollow  is  scratched  in  the  soil  and  sparingly 
lined  with  grasses  and  a  few  feathers.  The  eggs  are  usually  eight  to 
twelve  in  number,  but  frequently  more  are  laid.  Mr.  L.  Jones  states 
that  in  Iowa  high  or  low  lands  are  resorted  to  for  breeding  grounds, 
and  little  or  no  attempt  is  made  at  concealing  the  nest. 

The  eggs  are  deposited  by  May  ist.  In  Nebraska  the  eggs  are 
laid  in  the  latter  part  of  April.  These  are  light  drab  or  dull  buflFy, 
sometimes  with  an  olive  hue,  and  occasionally  sprinkled  with  brown ; 
their  form  is  rather  oval ;  average  size  1.68  x  1.25. 

306.    Tympanuchus  cupido    (Linn.)    [477,  par/.] 

Heath  Hen. 

Hab.    Island  of  Martha's  Vineyard,  Mass. 

The  light  colored  Prairie  Hen  of  the  Western  prairies  formerly 
had  a  smaller,  darker,  and  redder  eastern  representative,  which  was 
originally  distributed  throughout  Long  Island,  New  Jersey,  Eastern 
Pennsylvania  and  Virginia.  Perhaps  the  last  of  this  race  still  lin- 
ger at  Martha's  Vineyard,  Massachusetts,  and  a  wide  range  of  terri- 
tory now  separates  it  from  its  Western  cousins. 

Mr.  Brewster  states  that  it  is  common  on  Martha's  Vineyard, 
where  it  is  confined  to  the  woods,  haunting  oak  scrub  by  preference, 
feeding  largely  on  acorns.  Being  strictly  protected  by  law,  there  is, 
according  to  the  best  evidence  at  hand,  no  present  danger  of  the 
colony  being  exterminated.* 

The  eggs  are  described  by  Mr.  Capen  from  a  manuscript  by  Mr. 
Maynard :  **  They  are  regularly  oval  in  form,  all  the  specimens  being 
quite  uniform  in  this  respect.  The  color  is  a  yellowish-green  of  a 
peculiar  shade,  quite  different  from  the  more  decided  greenish-brown 
seen  in  the  /estern  species,  from  which  the  eggs  now  at  hand  also 
differ  in  being  unspotted.  There  is  little  variation  in  the  dimensions 
of  all  six,  the  average  measurements  being  1.72  by  1.27  inches."  Mr. 
Capen,  in  his  beautiful  work,  also  figures  an  egg  from  this  set.f 

*See  William  Brewster's  article  on  The  Heath  Hen  in  Massachusetts:  Auk,  11,80-84. 
t Oology  of  New  England:  Page  82,  Plate  XXIV,  Fig.  4. 


■I  < 

II  i 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS.  149 

308.    Ped  JCSBtes  phasianellus    (Linn.)    [478.] 

Sharp-tailed  Oronse. 

Hab,  British  America,  north  to  Fort  Simpson,  Fort  Resolution  and  the  regions  about  Great  Slave 
Lake,  south  to  Moose  Factory,  Lake  Winnipeg  and  northern  shore  of  Lake  Superior. 

The  Sharp-tailed  Grouse,  in  its  various  forms,  inhabits  the  western 
and  northwestern  plains  of  the  United  States  and  the  northern  por- 
tions of  North  America,  frequenting  the  grassy  prairies  and  the 
wooded  districts.     It  is  commonly  called  Pin-tail  Grouse. 

The  present  species  is  said  to  be  especially  abundant  in  the  terri- 
tory between  Great  Bear  Lake,  Fort  Simpson,  and  the  country  border- 
ing Great  Slave  Lake. 

It  is  found  in  the  open  glades  or  low  thickets  on  the  borders  of 
streams  and  large  bodies  of  water,  this  being  the  case  where  the  forests 
are  partially  cleared.  At  all  seasons  it  is  found  in  small  flocks,  in  the 
winter  perching  on  trees,  but  keeping  to  the  ground  in  the  summer. 

In  winter  it  often  hides  in  the  deep  su'^w,  and  works  its  way  under 
the  surface  with  ease,  feeding  as  it  progresses  on  the  buds  of  the  wil- 
lows, larches,  aspens,,  etc.  Its  food  in  the  summer  and  autumn  is 
principally  berries.  The  eggs  are  deposited  in  the  first  part  of  June 
in  a  nest  on  the  ground,  made  of  coarse  grasses  and  lined  with  feathers. 
The  eggs  are  of  a  dark,  tawny  brown,  minutely  dotted  or  speckled 
with  darker  spots  of  brown. 

The  number  laid  ranges  from  six  to  fourteen,  usually  twelve.  The 
average  size  is  1.75  x  1.25. 

308a.    PediocsBtes  phasianellus  columbianus    (Ord.)    [478a.] 

Columbiau  Sharp-tailed   Grouae. 

Hab.     Plains  of  Northwestern  United  St;iles. 

Dr.  Cones  says :  The  Pin-tail  Chicken  inhabits  the  western  por- 
tions of  Minnesota,  a  small  part  of  Iowa,  all  of  Dakota,  thence  diag- 
onally across  Nebraska  and  Kansas  to  Colorado  in  the  Laramine  and 
Upper  Platte  regions ;  from  thence  westward  in  suitable  localities  to 
the  Sierra  Nevada  and  Cascade  ranges ;  northern  limit  to  be  conven- 
tionally established  along  the  northern  border  of  the  United  States, 
beyond  which  it  shades  into  the  tnic  p/iasm/ie/his.  In  fine,  this  is  the 
prairie  chicken  of  the  whole  Northwest ;  usually  occurring  where  C. 
ciipido  does  not,  the  two  overlap  to  some  extent.''' 

In  some  portions  of  Manitoba  it  is  said  to  be  very  abundant,  living 
exclusively  on  the  open  prairie  in  summer,  and  exclusively  in  the 
wooded  districts  in  winter.  The  nest  is  placed  on  the  ground,  com- 
posed of  a  few  dry  grasses  arranged  in  a  circular  ibrm.  The  bird  is 
esteemed  as  highly  for  the  table  as  the  Prairie  Hen. 

*  Key  to  North  American  Birds,  pp.  582-583. 


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150 


NESTS  AND   EGGS   OF 


The  eggs  are  light  clay  to  a  dark  rusty-brown,  uniformly  speckled 
with  fine  dottings  of  darker  brown ;  from  six  to  twelve  in  number ; 
average  size  1.70  x  1.25. 

308^.    Pediocsetes  phasianellns  campestris    Ridgw. 


Hab. 
Mexico. 


Prairie  Sharp-tailed  Grouse. 

Plains  and  prairies  of  the  United   States  east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  south   to  eastern  Nef 


Another  variety  of  the  Sharp-tailed  Grouse,  inhabiting  the  great 
plains  of  the  United  States  east  to  Wisconsin  and  northern  Illinois, 
west  to  eastern  Colorado  and  south  to  eastern  New  Mexico.  The 
ground  color  of  the  plumage  in  this  bird  is  more  rusty,  or  ochraceous, 
than  in  P.  p.  columbianus^  that  of  the  latter  species  being  buffy-grayish 
or  pale  grayish-clay  color  above,  with  little  or  no  rusty  tinge.  Profes- 
sor Ridgway  gives  the  average  measurements  of  the  eggs  as  1.66  x 

1.23. 

309.    Oentrocercus  urophasianus    (Bonap.)    [479] 

Sage  Grouse. 

Hab.  Sage-bush  plains  of  the  Rocky  Mountain  plateau,  north  into  British  America,  south  to  New 
Mexico,  Nevada,  Eastern  California  and  Washington  Territory. 

The  Sage  Cock,  Sage  Grouse,  Sage  Hen,  or  Cock  of  the  Plains,  as 
it  is  variously  called  in  the  west,  is  principally  found  in  what  are 
known  as  the  sage-bush  regions  of  Montana,  Wyoming,  Colorado, 
Utah,  Nevada,  Oregon,  Idaho,  Arizona,  eastern  California  and  other 
western  States  and  Territories,  where  the  march  of  civilization  has 
not  exterminated  their  favorite  food,  the  leaves  of  the  wild  sage-bush, 
which  cover  large  tracts  of  western  country.  This  is  the  natural 
home  of  the  bird.  It  is  the  largest  of  American  grouse.  The  color 
of  the  bird  is  so  nearly  like  that  of  the  ground  and  sage-bush  that  it  is 
difficult  to  detect  its  presence.  In  summer  their  food  is  sage  leaves, 
berries  and  insects,  but  their  sole  food  in  winter  seems  to  be  sage 
leaves.  The  male  is  a  little  larger  than  the  female ;  their  weight  is 
about  ten  pounds,  and  that  of  the  female  seven,  live  weight.  They 
roam  everywhere  in  winter  in  large  flocks,  the  snow  quenching  their 
thirst  instead  of  the  water  of  the  streams  which  supply  them  in  the 
summer,  and  along  which  they  scatter  in  small  bands  at  this  season. 
The  males  flock  together  during  the  season  of  incubation;  the 
females  always  remaining  by  themselves  to  rear  their  young. 

Mr.  G.  G.  Mead  states  that  the  eggs  in  Wyoming  are  deposited 
about  the  15th  of  May.  W.  S.  Rougis  reports  them  in  the  same  Ter- 
ritory as  being  laid  as  early  as  the  latter  part  of  April  or  in  May,  and 
that  the  nests  are  mere  hollows  scratched  in  the  ground  under  sage- 
bushes.     Mr.  Rougis  found  the  nest  complement  to  vary  from  ten  to 


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I. 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


161 


fourteen  eggs,  and  varying  in  shape  from  oval  to  that  of  the  usual 
shape  of  hen's  eggs,  and  some  specimens  taper  to  a  smaller  point  at 
the  smaller  end  than  do  those  of  the  domestic  fowl.  They  are  of  a 
light  greenish-drab  or  pale  olive-bufF  or  a  drab  shaded  with  buft,  thickly 
freckled  with  small  rounded  spots  of  reddish-brown  and  dark  chestnut, 
occasionally  with  large  blotches  and  spots.  Mr.  Rougis  gives  the 
measurements  of  six  specimens  as  follows:  1.75x1.33,1.63x1.17, 
1.69  X  1. 18,  1.63  X  1. 17,  2.25  X  1. 51,  2.23  X  1.48.* 

A  set  of  eggs  in  the  cabinet  of  J.  Parker  Norris  were  taken  May 
26,  1881,  near  Fort  Steele,  Wyoming  Territory.  The  nest  was  on  the 
ground,  under  a  sage  bush.  The  eggs  are  of  a  greenish-brown, 
speckled  and  spotted  with  Vandyke  brown.  They  are  of  an  elongate- 
ovate  shape,  and  measure  2.28x1.58,  2.25x1.48,  2.18x1.52,  2.14x1.51, 
2.23  X  1.50,  2.16  X  1.54,  2.29  X  1.53,  2.18  X  1.52,  2.13  X  1.50,  2.12  X  1.48. 


i 


310.    Meieagrls  gallopavo    Linn.     [47ort!]. 

Wild  Turkey. 

Hab.  Eastern  United  States,  north  to  southern  Canada,  south  to  Florida  and  eastern  Texas,  west  to 
the  Great  Plains. 

This  is  the  bird  which  so  very  much  resembles  the  domestic  tur- 
key, but  is  more  brilliant  in  color.  It  is  a  constant  resident  in  suitable 
localities  throughout  Eastern  United  States.  It  occurs  as  far  north  as 
Canada;  is  probably  extinct  in  New  England,  and  is  found  as  far 
northwest  as  the  Missouri  river,  and  southwest  as  Texas.  But  this 
grand  bird  is  rapidly  becoming  exterminated,  not  only  as  it  is  in  New 
England,  but  in  other  sections  of  the  country.  In  Ohio  it  was  formerly 
an  abundant  resident,  breeding  throughout  the  State  ;  now  quite  un- 
known in  the  more  thickly  settled  portions,  but  still  common  in  some 
of  the  northwestern  counties.  Dr.  Kirtland  (1850)  mentions  the  time 
when  Wild  Turkeys  were  more  common  than  tame  ones  are  now. 

Mr.  Thomas  Mcllwraith,  in  his  admirable  work  on  the  Birds  of 
Ontario,  says  that  within  the  recollection  of  people  still  living,  Wild 
Turkeys  were  comparatively  common  along  the  southwestern  border  of 
Ontario,  and  that  the  day  is  not  far  distant  when  this  bird  will  be  sought 
for  in  vain  in  the  province.!  ^      '  . 

Mr.  Edwin  C.  Davis  reports  the  Wild  Turkey  to  be  very  common  in 
the  vicinity  of  Gainesville,  Texas,  hundreds  being  brought  to  market 
and  sold  during  the  winter  months.  The  nests  of  this  bird,  he  says, 
are  very  difficult  to  discover,  as  they  are  made  on  the  ground,  midst 
tall,  thick  weeds  or  tangled  briers.     The  female  will  not  leave  the  nest 

*  Young  Oologisf.,  Vol.  I,  pp.  7&-77. 
fThe  Birds  of  Ontario:  pp.  130-130. 


it     ','■■ 


162 


NESTS   AND   EGGS  OP 


until  almost  trodden  upon.  Mr.  Davis  states  that  when  the  eggs  are 
once  touched  the  female  will  abandon  her  nest. 

The  eggs  are  rich,  dark  cream  color,  thickly  sprinkled  with  rounded 
spots  of  rusty-brown  or  umber.  The  number  laid  varies  from  nine  to 
eighteen,  commonly  nine  to  twelve.  Some  writers  say  ten  to  twenty 
and  twenty-four,  but  I  have  never  seen  this  number  in  a  set.  Four  typ- 
ical specimens  collected  in  Morrow  county,  Ohio,  May  lo,  1884,  measure 
2.54x2,  2.56x1.95,  2.56x1.97,  2.69x1.94.  The  average  size  of  a 
large  series,  2.55  x  1.80. 

Mr.  J.  Parker  Norris  has  two  sets  of  eggs  of  this  bird  in  his  cabi- 
net. One  set  was  taken  May  22,  1888,  in  Manatee  county,  Florida. 
The  nest  was  under  a  pile  of  brush,  near  a  swamp.  It  was  made  of 
grass  and  leaves,  and  there  were  also  a  few  feathers.  The  eggs  were 
twelve  in  number,  and  the  incubation  very  slight.  They  are  of  a  deep 
cream  color,  thickly  speckled  with  russet.  They  measure  2.45x1.79, 
2.55x1.86,  2.55x1.86,  2.38x1.80,  2.57x1.86,  2.54x1.80,  2.53x1.90, 
2.55x1.83,  2.50x1.91,  2.36x1.81,  2.34x1.75,  2.52x1.78. 

The  other  set  were  collected  in  Ripcmokee  Swamp,  Georgia,  on 
April  25,  1886.  The  nest  was  in  a  brush  heap,  and  was  constructed  of 
grass,  leaves  and  twigs.  The  eggs  were  twelve,  and  were  fresh.  They 
are  of  a  deep  cream  color,  faintly  speckled  and  spotted  with  clay  color. 
The  whole  effect  is  much  lighter  than  in  the  other  set.  They  measure 
2.58x1.85,  2.61  X  1.86,  2.64x1.87,  2.50x1.87,  2.61  X  1.93,  2.55x1.91, 
2.64x1.90,    2.55x1.90,   2.66x1.90,  2.63x1.90,  2.78x1.92,  2.62x1.91. 

Both  sets  are  quite  pointed. 

310a.    Meleagris  gallopavo  mexitana    (Gould.)    [470.] 

Mexican  Turkey. 

Hab.     Table-land  of  Mexico, north  to  the  southern  border  of  tlie  United  States;  western  Texas  toArizona. 

This  Turkey  is  found  in  western  Texas,  New  Mexico,  Arizona, 
and  southward  ;  in  suitable  localities  it  is  abundant.  In  various  moun- 
tain ranges  throughout  New  Mexico  it  is  very  common.  On  the  ap- 
proach of  winter  they  leave  their  summer  haunts  and  travel  down  the 
foot  hills  and  the  mesas,  where  they  remain  until  the  snow  disap- 
pears, when,  like  the  deer,  they  return.  Mr.  Scott  states  that  in  the 
pine  woods  of  the  Catalina  mountains  of  Arizona  this  Turkey  was  very 
common  late  in  November,  1885,  though  snow  covered  the  ground. 
The  bird,  however,  from  what  he  could  learn,  has  already  decreased 
in  number  in  most  localities,  and  to  have  become  exterminated  in 
others  where  it  was  formerly  abundant.* 

Mr.  George  B.  Sennett  found  this  Turkey  common  on  the  Lower 

*  Auk,  Vol.  Ill,  p.  389. 


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NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


163 


Rio  Grande  of  Texas,  nesting  in  the  dense  woods.  The  first  set  of 
eggs,  twelve  in  number,  were  taken  April  24,  contained  young  chicks 
peeping  in  the  shell.  A  set  of  fifteen  obtained  April  26  were  fresh.* 
The  nesting  habits  are  the  same  as  the  common  wild  turkey. 
The  eggs  are  described  as  resembling  those  of  the  domestic  turkey 
in  groimd  color  and  markings ;  dark  buff  or  creamy-white,  more  or 
less  thickly  sprinkled  with  spots  of  light  and  dark  umber-brown; 
they  measure  2.40x1.80.  The  average  size  of  twenty-eight  eggs, 
as  given  by  Mr.  Sennett,  is  2.43x1.86;  the  largest,  2.50x1.90;  the 
smallest  2-33x1.72. 

311.    Ortalls  vetula  maccalli    Baikd.    [469] 

Chaohalaoa. 

Hab.     Valley  of  the  Rio  Grande,  southward  into  Mexico. 

The  Texas  Guan,  or  Chachalaca,  is  a  remarkable  bird,  inhabiting 
til  e  warm  tropical  regions  of  America.  It  measures  from  twenty-two 
to  twenty-four  inches  in  length,  of  which  the  tail  measures  from  nine 
to  eleven.  Dr.  Merrill  states  that  this  is  one  of  the  most  characteristic 
birds  of  the  Lower  Rio  Grande  region.  "  Rarely  seen  at  any  distance 
from  woods  or  dense  chaparral,  they  are  abundant  in  those  places, 
and  their  hoarse  cries  are  the  first  thing  heard  by  the  traveler  on 
awaking  in  the  morning.  During  the  day,  unless  rainy  or  cloudy, 
the  birds  are  rarely  seen  or  heard;  but  shortly  before  sunrise  and 
sunset,  they  mount  the  topmost  branch  of  a  dead  tree,  and  make  the 
woods  ring  with  their  discordant  notes.  Contrary  to  almost  every 
description  of  their  cry  I  have  seen,  it  consists  "of  three  syllables, 
though  occasionally  a  fourth  is  added.  When  one  bird  begins  to  cry, 
the  nearest  bird  joins  in  at  the  second  note,  and  in  this  way  the  fourth 
syllable  is  made ;  but  they  keep  such  good  time  that  it  is  often  very 
difficult  to  satisfy  one's  self  that  this  is  the  fact."t  The  Mexican  name, 
Chachalac,  means  a  noisy  person  or  bird,  is  derived  from  the  discord- 
ant cries  of  this  species.  The  quality  of  these  notes  may  be  imitated 
by  putting  the  most  stress  upon  the  last  two  syllables.  The  compass  and 
harshness  of  the  cries  are  said  to  be  almost  equal  to  that  of  the  guinea 
fowl.  The  birds  are  said  to  be  easily  tamed,  and  to  cross  with  the 
domestic  fowl.  Dr.  INIerrill  remarks  that  they  are  much  hunted  for  the 
Brownsville  market,  but  the  flesh  is  not  particularly  good,  and  when 
domesticated  the  birds  become  troublesomely  familiar,  and  are  decided 
nuisances  when  kept  about  the  house. 

*  Further  notes  on  the  Ornithology  of  the  Lower  Rio  Grande  of  Texas,  from  observations  made  during 
the  spring  of  1878.  By  George  B.  Sennett.  Edited,  with  annotations,  by  Dr.  Elliott  Coues,  U.  S.  A,;  pp. 
247-248.  Extracted  from  the  Bulletin  of  the  Geographical  Survey,  Vol  V,  No.  3;  Washington,  November 
30,1879.    Author's  edition. 

t  Notes  on  the  Ornithology  of  southern  Texas. 


■M  I 


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154 


NKSTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


.  'h 


Mr.  Sennett  states  that  this  bird  does  not  breed  in  communi- 
ties, but  in  isolated  pairs,  and  from  all  accounts,  raises  but  one  brood 
in  a  season,  unless  the  nest  is  despoiled,  when  the  female  will  lay 
another  clutch,  which  almost  invariably  consists  of  three,  rarely  less. 
Mr.  Norris  has  a  set  of  four  eggs,  and  reports  that  Mr.  Thos.  H.  Jack- 
son has  received  several  sets  of  the  same  number  from  southern  Texas. 
Mr.  Sennett  obtained  fresh  eggs  on  the  Rio  Grande,  April  loth,  and  on 
the  2otli  sets  were  generally  full  and  fresh,  after  which  time  they  con- 
tained embryos.  The  nests  are  shallow  structures,  often  made  entirely  of 
Spanish  moss,  and  are  placed  on  horizontal  limbs,  a  few  feet  from 
the  ground.  The  eggs  are  of  a  bufify- white,  thick-shelled  and  roughly 
granulated;  they  are  large  for  the  bird;  sizes  range  from  2.18  to  2.35 
long  by  1.55  to  1.60  broad.  The  set  of  four  eggs  in  Mr.  Norris'  collec- 
tion was  taken  June  2,  1886,  in  Camargo  county,  Mexico.  They  are 
of  a  dull,  yellowish-white,  and  measure  2.30x1.61,  2.30x1.61, 
2.21  x  1.56,  2.33  X  1.57.  The  small  ends  of  these  specimens  are  quite 
pointed. 

312.     Columba  fasciata   Say.     [456.] 

Band-tailed  Pigeon. 

Hab.  Western  United  States,  from  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  the  Pacific  coast,  from  Washington  Terri- 
tory and  New  Mexico  south,  through  Mexico  to  the  highlands  of  Guatemala. 

The  Band-tailed,  or  Wh  ""^e-collared  Pigeon,  is  found  from  the  Rocky 
Mountains  westward  to  thv  Pacific.  It  is  common,  but  irregular 
in  distribution.  In  Washington  county,  Oregon,  Mr.  Anthony 
records  this  Pigeo^  as  a  common  summer  resident,  and  that  south 
of  Beaverton  is  a  large  spring,  whose  waters  contain  some  mineral 
which  has  a  great  attraction  for  these  birds,  and  here  they  are  always 
to  be  found  in  large  numbers.  Mr.  Scott  states  that  this  species  is 
common  in  the  Santa  Catalina  mountains  in  Arizona,  breeding  in 
July.  He  met  with  it  commonly  in  May  and  June,  as  low  down  as 
3,500  feet,  feeding  on  wild  mulberries.  It  was  not  uncommon  in 
the  pine  region  about  the  middle  of  April.* 

This  is  an  attractive  bird,  about  the  size  and  possessing  many 
habits  of  the  domestic  pigeon.  It  sometimes  congregates  together 
in  flocks,  even  while  breeding,  and  nests  in  trees  and  bushes  along 
the  banks  of  streams,  or  in  the  thick  forests  near  water.  The  nest 
is  a  mere  platform  of  sticks,  and  the  eggs  are  also  placed  on  the  ground 
without  any  nest,  which  is  sometimes  the  case  with  the  Mourning 
Dove  (Z.  macrourd). 

The  eggs  are  two  in  number,  equal-ended,  glistening-white,  with 
an  average  size  of  1.50  x  1.20. 

•Auk,  Vol.  Ill,  p.  421. 


MHMM 


165 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 

313.  Oolumba  flavirostrls    Wagl.    [457'] 

R«d-blll«u  Pigeon. 

Hab.  Southern  border  of  the  UDited  Statei  from  the  Rio  Grande  Valley,  Arizona,  Mexico  and  Lower 
California  south  to  Costa  Rica. 

This  large  and  handsome  Pigeon  is  common  in  the  valley  of  the 
Rio  Grande  and  southward.  In  some  localities  on  the  Rio  Grande  in 
Texas  it  is  abundant  during  the  summer  months.  Dr.  Merrill  found 
it  not  uncommon  about  Fort  Brown,  but  more  plentiful  higher  up  the 
river.  It  loves  the  deep,  dense  woods,  where  it  can  dwell  in  quiet  and 
retirement.  The  nests  are  frail  platforms  of  twigs  and  grasses,  such 
as  are  usually  built  by  other  pigeons,  placed  in  trees  and  bushes. 

Mr.  George  B.  Sennett  describes  a  nest  which  he  fdund  April  9th, 
near  Hidalgo,  on  the  Rio  Grande.  It  was  placed  in  a  thicket,  about 
eight  feet  from  the  ground,  made  of  twigs,  was  frail  and  saucer-shaped 
and  contained  a  single  young,  nearly  fledged.  He  states  that  this  bird 
lays  several  times  in  a  season.  Nests  were  found  containing  eggs  and 
young  in  all  stages  of  development,  but  in  no  case  did  a  nest  contain 
more  than  one  egg  or  young.  Mr.  Sennett  gives  the  average  size, 
taken  from  a  large  series,  as  1.55  x  1. 10,  the  length  varying  from  1.60  to 
1.45,  and  the  breadth  from  1.18  to  1.03*.     The  eggs  are  pearly  white. 

314.  Columba  leucocephala    Linn.    [458.] 

White-orowned  Pigeon. 

Hab.     Greater  Antilles,  Bahamas  and  Florida  Keys. 

The  White-crowned  Pigeon  occurs  in  summer  on  the  Florida 
Keys,  and  it  breeds  abundantly  on  some  of  the  smaller  islands ;  it  is 
an  abundant  resident  species  in  the  Bahamas  and  West  Indies.  This 
Pigeon,  according  to  Audubon,  arrives  on  the  southern  Florida  Keys 
about  April  20th,  or  not  until  May  first.  The  birds  were  shy  and  wary 
on  account  of  the  war  waged  against  them,  their  flesh  being  esteemed 
for  its  fine  flavor.  Their  shyness  only  partially  abated  during  the 
breeding  season  and  they  would  silently  slide  from  their  nest  when  sit- 
ting, and  retreat  to  the  dark  shades  of  the  mangroves.  The  nest  is 
built  in  low  trees  and  bushes,  composed  of  twigs  carefully  arranged, 
with  little  or  no  lining  of  grasses.  It  is,  on  the  whole,  a  bulky  structure 
for  a  pigeon.  These  birds  often  breed  in  numbers,  nesting  in  trees, 
so'ne  at  high  elevations,  others  in  low  mangrove  bushes  and  the  nests 
rf  ^^e  that  of  the  Passenger  Pigeon,  but  are  said  to  be  more  com- 
pact and  better  lined.  The  eggs  are  two  in  number,  oval  in  form, 
and  opaque-white  with  a  very  smooth  surface;  the  average  size  is 
1. 41  X  1.02. 

«  Further  notes  on  the  Ornithology  of  the  Rio  Grande  of  Texas. 


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166  NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 

315.    Ectopistes  mlgratorius  (Linn.).    [459] 

PMuenser  PlgeoB. 

Hab.  Oeciduout  foreit-region  of  Eastern  North  America,  weit  caiually  to  Waihington  Territory  and 
Nevada. 

The  Wild  Pigeon  wanders  in  search  of  food  throughout  all  parts 
of  North  America,  but  chiefly  temperate  North  America  east  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains.  At  times  it  is  abundant  in  particular  districts.  The 
greatest  roosts  and  flights  are  now  said  to  be  seen  in  the  Upper  Missis- 
sippi Valley.  Of  late  years  it  has  become  rather  scarce  in  localities 
where  it  was  once  formerly  abundant;  and,  in  fact,  in  many  places  it  is 
now  seen  only  occasionally  in  small  flocks  of  a  dozen  or  fifteen.  Wil- 
son's and  Audubon's  graphic  accounts  of  the  "congregated  millions" 
which  they  saw  in  Ohio,  Indiana  and  Kentucky  seem  hardly  credible 
to  those  who  have  not  seen  them.  The  extensive  forests  which  once 
served  as  breeding  and  feeding  grounds  have  been  partially  or  vholly 
destroyed,  and  we  are  no  longer  favored  with  the  sublime  sights  of 
immense,  unbroken,  and  apparently  limitless  flocks.  Until  about  1855, 
these  Pigeons  were  extremely  abundant  in  Central  Ohio,  having  at  that 
time  a  roost  and  breeding  place  near  Kirkersville,  Licking  county,  and 
large  numbers  were  to  be  seen  from  sunrise  till  nine  o'clock  and  after, 
flying  westward  from  the  roost,  and  in  the  afternoon  about  four  o'clock 
till  sundown  returning.  At  these  hours  they  were  never  out  of  sight, 
and  often  dozens  of  flocks  were  in  sight  at  once.  Dr.  Kirtland  states 
that  near  Circleville,  in  1850,  one  thousand  two  hundred  and  eighty- 
five  were  caught  in  a  single  net  in  one  day,  and  the  average  price  for 
the  birds  in  Columbus  was  five  or  six  cents  per  dozen.  The  Wild  Pigeon 
congregates  in  vast  communities  for  the  purpose  of  breeding,  nesting 
in  trees  and  bushes,  frequently  at  a  considerable  height  from  the  ground, 
and  often  as  many  as  fifty  and  a  hundred  nests  have  been  observed  in 
a  single  tree.  The  nest  is  a  mere  platform  of  sticks.  The  eggs  are 
usually  one,  never  more  than  two  in  number,  pure  white,  and  broadly 
elliptical  in  shape;  average  size,  1.50x1.03. 

A  set  of  two  eggs  of  this  bird,  taken  in  1874,  in  Iowa,  are  in  the 
collection  of  J.  Parker  Norris.  They  are  dull  white,  and  measure 
1.50XI.01,  1.40  X. 98. 

316.    Zenaidura  macroura  (Linn.).     [460]. 

Mourning  Dove. 

Hab.  Whole  of  temperate  North  America  from  Southern  Maine,  Canada  and  Oregon,  south  to  Panama 
and  the  West  Indies. 

The  Carolina  Dove,  also  called  Turtle  Dove,  is  one  of  our  best 
known  and  familiar  birds.  Its  gentle  disposition,  its  sweet  but  mourn- 
ful cooing,  have  made  it  the  typical  sad-toned  singer  in  poetry  and  song. 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


167 


lie 
Ire 


The  Turtle  Dove  is  distributed  throughout  temperate  North  Amer- 
ica ;  it  is  to  be  met  with  everywhere,  both  in  woodland  and  in  open 
places.  It  is  particularly  fond  of  feeding  in  country  roadways.  During 
the  breeding  season  they  are  found  in  pairs,  but  at  other  times  are  highly 
gregarious,  though  flocks  of  them  never  attain  the  size  of  those  of  the 
Wild  Pigeon.  The  nest  is  placed  on  the  horizontal  branches  of  trees, 
on  stumps,  on  the  top  rail  of  old  snake  fences,  on  rocks,  in  bushes,  and 
in  treeless  regions  the  nest  is  placed  on  the  ground.  It  varies  in  con- 
struction with  its  location.  When  found  in  small  branches  of  trees  it 
is  made  of  a  few  sticks,  somewhat  after  the  style  of  the  Cuckoo's  nest, 
but  if  on  a  large  limb  or  stump,  it  is  often  but  a  rim  of  twigs  sufficient 
to  retain  the  eggs;  when  on  the  ground,  a  few  straws  and  twigs  are 
used  to  indicate  the  nest.  The  Carolina  Dove  rears  two,  sometimes 
three  broods  in  a  season.  It  begins  to  nest  early.  I  have  taken  eggs 
April  loth ;  the  late  Dr.  Wheaton  found  the  nest  with  young  as  early 
as  the  middle  of  April.  Breeding  usually  continues  until  September. 
Dr.  Jones  states  that  he  had  seen  Doves  sitting  on  fresh  eggs  in  every 
month  except  December  and  January,  and  he  has  no  doubt  that  they 
occasionally  build  nests  and  lay  eggs  in  these  months  in  mild  winters.* 
Two  white  eggs  are  laid ;  there  are  exceptional  cases,  however, 
where  more  are  deposited.  Mr.  Norris  has  a  set  of  three  ;  Mr.  h.  Jones, 
of  Grinnell,  Iowa,  writes  that  he  has  in  his  collection  a  set  of  four. 
Mr.  P.  W.  Smith,  of  Greenville,  111.,  records  several  sets  of  three  and 
four ;  two  sets  taken  from  old  robins'  nests.  He  also  found  a  Brown 
Thrasher's  nest  containing  one  egg  of  the  Thrasher  and  two  of  the 
Doves. t     The  eggs  are  elliptical  in  shape  and  average  1.12X.82. 

317.    Zenalda  zenaida  (BoNAP.)    [462.] 

Zenalda  Dove. 

Hab.  Florida  Keys,  Bahamas,  Cuba,  Jamaica,  Porto  Rico,  Santa  Crui,  Sombrero  and  coast  of 
Yucatan. 

According  to  Audubon's  observations,  this  species  makes  its 
appearance  on  the  islands  around  Indian  Key,  Fla.,  about  April  15,  in- 
creasing in  numbers  until  October,  when  they  all  departed  for  the  West 
Indies,  where  they  are  the  most  numerous.  Egg  laying  is  begun  about 
the  first  of  May.  In  Jamaica  this  species  is  known  as  the  Pea  Dove 
and  in  Santa  Cruz  as  Mountain  Dove.  Its  general  habits  are  similar  to 
those  of  the  Mourning  or  the  Ground  Dove,  and  like  the  latter  species 
it  is  more  terrestial  in  its  habits.  It  nests  indiscriminately  on  the 
ground,  in  trees  or  in  low  bushes.  In  trees  or  bushes  the  nest  is  a 
slight  platform  of  twigs.     Audubon  states  that  this  species  breeds  in 

■^Illustrations  of  the  Nests  and  Eggs  of  Birds  of  Ohio,  p.  97. 
tOnrithologist  and  Oologist,  XI,  p28. 


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158 


NEvSTS  AND   EGGS   OF 


various  keys  east  of  Florida,  which  are  covered  with  grass  and  low 
shrrbs,  placing  the  nest  between  tufts  of  grass  or  on  the  ground  with 
little  concealment.  It  is  built  of  dry  leaves  and  grass  imbedded  in  a 
hollow  scooped  in  the  sand.  It  is  said  to  be  more  compact  than  the  nest 
of  any  other  pigeon.  The  eggs  are  one  or  two  in  number,  white,  with  a 
very  smooth  surface;  size,  1.19X.94. 

318.    Engyptila  albifrons  (Bonap.)    [463.] 

"Wliitc-fronted  Dove. 

Hab.    Valley  of  the  Lower  Rio  Grande  in  Texas,  southward  through  Mexico  to  Guatemala. 

Mr.  George  B.  Sennett  added  this  Dove  as  a  new  species  to  the 
fauna  of  the  United  States  in  1877  ;  the  first  specimens  being  taken  in 
the  vicinity  of  Hidalgo,  on  the  Rio  Grande  in  Texas.  Dr.  Merrill 
notes  it  as  not  tare  in  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Brown,  being  shy  and  not 
very  often  seen.  Mr.  Sennett  states  that  in  its  general  habits  this  bird 
is  qaiet  and  not  easily  alarmed  ;  it  frequents  the  high  branches  of  tall 
trees,  associating  with  the  white-winged  dove  and  is  less  numerous 
than  the  red-billed  pigeon.  By  itr^  peculiar  note — a  low,  short  cooing 
—  it  is  easily  distinguished  from  all  other  species.  A  nest  was  found 
situated  in  the  forks  of  bushes,  about  five  feet  from  the  ground,  was 
flat  and  quite  large  for  a  pigeon's  nest,  and  composed  of  the  dead 
branches,  twigs  and  bark  of  pithy  weeds. 

Dr.  Merrill  found  a  nest  on  June  8,  1878,  wli'oh  was  about  seven 
feet  from  the  ground,  supported  by  the  dense  interlacing  tendrils  of  a 
hanging  vine,  growing  on  the  edge  of  a  thicket.  This  nest  contained 
two  eggs  which  were  quite  Iresh;  sizes  i.i6x.86  and  i,i9x.89,  re- 
spectively. These  are  described  as  a  strong  olive-bufF  color.  Mr. 
Sennett  describes  them  as  of  a  light  drab,  or  light  olive  drab,  and  gives 
the  measurements  of  four  specimens  as  follows:  1.14X.89,  i.i2x.88, 
1.16X.83,  1.15X.85;  averaging  1.14X.86. 

319.    Melopelia  leucoptera  (Linn).    [464.J     ; 

White-winged  Dova. 

Hab.  Southern  border  of  the  United  States  (Texas  to  Arizona)  and  Lower  California,  southward 
to  Costa  Rica  and  the  West  Indies. 

Dr.  James  C.  Merrill  mentions  this  as  a  very  common  species  dur- 
ing the  summer  mouths  in  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Brown,  Texas.  The 
nests,  he  states,  are,  "  as  a  rule,  smaller  and  more  frail  than  those  of  the 
Carolina  dove,  and  the  eggs  have  a  decided  creamy  tinge,  which  is 
rarely  lost  after  blowing,  at  least  not  for  months.  Thirty-four  eggs 
average  i.i7x.8y;  extremes  1.30X.95  and  1.05 x. 80.  The  note  is  a 
de^^   so:      ^"S  coo^  frequently  repeated  and  heaid  at  a  great  distance." 

At  Lomita  Ranch  on  the  Pvio  Grande,  in  Texas,  Mr.  Sennett  found 


iir-fiiiii—'TnMimiii 


NORTH  AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


159 


this  species  to  be  more  abundant  than  all  the  other  pigeons  combined, 
and  vhen  they  have  begun  breeding,  all  day  long  the  air  is  filled  with 
the  music  of  their  cooing,  drowning  out  the  notes  of  most  other  birds. 
They  are  the  last  of  the  doves  to  come  in  the  spring  and  leave  about 
November,  By  the  first  of  May  eggs  were  found.  Their  color,  Mr. 
Sennett  describes,  as  varying  from  white  to  cream,  the  latter  prevailing, 
and  two  is  the  number  laid.  From  a  large  series  the  size  averages 
1. 14 X. 88;  the  largest,  1.22  x. 93,  the  smallest,  1.05 x. 88. 

Two  sets  of  the  eggs  of  this  Dove  are  in  the  cabinet  of  J.  Parker 
Norris.  One  of  two  sets  of  eggs  taken  May  i,  1884,  in  Neuces  county, 
Texas,  measure  i.iox.82,  i.iox.81.  The  second  set  collected  near 
Catulla,  Texas,  May  11,  1887,  measure  1.05  x  .78,  1.08  x  .79,  respectively. 

320.    Columbigallina  passerina    (Linn.)    [465] 

Ground  Dove. 

Hab.  South  Atlantic  and  Gulf  States;  Texas,  New  Mexico,  Arizona  and  California,  south  to  the  West 
Indies  and  the  northern  portion  of  South  America. 

A  diminutive  Dove,  measuring  only  six  or  seven  inches  in  length. 
Abundant  in  Mexico,  Yucatan,  Central  America  and  the  West  Indies. 
In  the  South  Atlantic  and  Gulf  States  it  is  a  common  and  familiar 
species,  nesting  indiscriminately  on  the  ground,  on  stumps,  on  vines, 
bushes  and  young  saplings.  The  nest  is  elevated  sometimes  as  high  as 
twenty  feet;  but  iisually  from  two  to  six  feet  above  the  ground,  and  is 
simply  a  fiail  structure  of  twigs,  often  containing  pine  needles.  The 
breeding  season  in  Georgia  begins  early  in  April, and  fresh  eggs  may  be 
found  in  May,  June,  and  sometimes  in  July.  Mr.  Pe-ry  informs  me 
that  in  the  vicinity  of  Savannah  he  has  taken  fresh  eggs  as  late  as  July 
9th.  Mr.  Arthur  T.  Wayne  took  a  set  of  two  eggs  near  Charleston,  S.  C, 
October  19th,  1886;  these  contained  small  embryos  and  the  parent  bird 
was  incubating.*  This  date,  however,  is  exceptional.  Mr.  Walter 
Hoxie,  of  Frogmore,  S.  C,  states  that  this  species  is  called  Mourning 
Dove  by  the  natives,  who  used  to  have  a  superstition  that  any  one  who 
molested  their  nest  would  be  "  mourned  to  death  "  by  the  grief-stricken 
owners.  The  eggs  are  two  in  number,  white  or  creamy  in  color ;  a 
large  series  averages  .85  X  .65. 

'^  321.    Scardafella  inca  (Less.)     [466.] 

Inoa  Dove. 

Hab.  Southern  border  of  the  United  States  (Texas  to  Southern  Arizona)  south  to  Mexico  and  Guate- 
mala. 

This  species  is  known  as  the  Scaled  Dove ;  nearly  all  the  plumage 
is  marked  with  black  cresentic-edged  feathei's,  producing  a  scaly  ap- 
pearance.    In  various  places  in  Soutnern  Arizona,  New  Mexico,  and 

<:'  Ornithologist  and  Uologist:    Vol.  XII,  p.  7. 


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160 


NESTS  AND   EGGS   OF 


along  the  Rio  Grande  valley  in  Texas,  this  species  is  quite  common 
during  the  summer  months.  Throughout  Mexico  and  Yucatan  it  is 
very  abundant,  and  is  known  as  the  Long-tailed  Ground  Dove.  It  is 
very  tame  and  familiar,  frequenting  cultivated  gardens  aboiit  houses^ 
and  is  said  to  live  more  on  the  ground  than  the  so-called  Ground  Dove. 
Its  cooing  is  coarse  and  tolerably  loud.  The  nest  of  this  species  is  built 
in  bushes,  vines  and  small  trees  similar  to  that  of  Columbigallina  pas- 
serina;  it  is  a  mere  platform  of  twigs.  The  eggs  are  invariably  two  in 
number,  white,  oval  in  shape,  both  ends  being  nearly  equal ;  average 
size,  .82X.65. 

[322.]    Geotrygon  martinloa  (Gmel).    [467]. 

Key  'West  Qnail-dove. 

Hab.     Key  West,  Florida,  Hayti,  Cuba,  Bahamas. 

A  constant  resident  of  the  Bahamas,  Cuba  and  Hayti.  Audubon 
met  with  a  few  of  this  species  on  the  island  of  Key  West,  Florida,  but 
it  is  said  not  to  have  been  observed  there  lately.  According  to  Audu- 
bon, the  movements  and  general  habits  of  this  species  are  similar  to 
those  of  the  Carolina  Dove.  The  nest  is  described  as  formed  of  light, 
dry  twigs ;  it  is  built  in  the  branches  of  trees  or  in  bushes,  occasionally 
it  is  placed  on  the  ground. 

According  to  Mr.  Audubon  the  eggs  are  two  in  number,  pure 
white,  and  about  the  size  of  those  of  the  White-crowned  Pigeon. 

[323.]    Starnoenas  cyanocephala    (Lr  n.)    [468] 

Blue-headed  Qnail-dove. 

Hab.  Cuba  and  Florida  Keys. 

It  appears  that  the  Blue-headed  Quail-dove  has  been  found  only 
by  Audubon  on  the  Florida  Keys ;  it  is  resident  in  the  Island  of  Cuba. 
It  is  a  singular  Dove,  withthe  crown  rich  blue,  bounded  by  black ;  a 
white  stripe  under  the  eye,  extending  under  the  chin ;  the  throat  is 
black,  bordered  with  white.     Length  of  bird  about  eleven  inches. 

The  nest  is  described  as  being  placed  on  trees  and  bushes,  and 
composed  of  sticks  carelessly  arranged.  The  eggs  are  one  or  two  \  1 
number,  p  ire  white;  size  about  1.40  x  1.05. 

324.    Pseudogryphus  californianus    (Shaw.)    [453.] 

California  Vultuice. 

Hab.  Pacific  coast  region  of  the  United  States,  from  Oregon  southward,  to  the  mouth  of  the  Colorado 
River. 

Concerning  the  California  Condor  or  Vulture,  Dr.  Brewer  remarks 
as  follows :  "  The  single  species  composing  this  very  distinct  genus 
belongs  to  Western  North  America,  and  so  far  as  known,  has  the  most 
restricted  distribution  of  any  large  raptorial  bird  in  the  world.     It  is 


t. 


3ttl 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


161 


remarkable  for  its  very  large  size,  all  its  dimensions  nearly,  if  not  quite, 
equaling  those  of  the  famed  Condor  of  the  Andes  {Sarcorhamphus 
gryphus^^).  This  great  bird  has  already  become  very  much  reduced 
in  numbers  and  extinct  in  localitiei-  where  it  was  formerly  abundant ; 
this  is  doubtless  due  to  the  indiscriminate  use  of  poison  which  is 
placed  on  carcasses  for  the  purpose  of  killing  wolves  and  other  obnox- 
ious animals.  Upon  these  poisoned  remains  the  birds  feed  and  perish. 
It  is  at  present  restricted  to  the  area  of  the  Pacific  coast  region  as 
far  north  as  the  Columbia  River  in  Oregon.  South  of  this  it  is  more 
common,  and  especially  in  the  warm  valleys  of  California.  Here  it  is 
associated  with  the  Turkey  Buzzard,  and  the  habits  of  both  species 
are  alike,  often  feeding  together  on  the  same  carcass.  Like  the  Turkey 
Vulture  its  flight  is  easy  and  graceful,  sailing  majestically  with  almost 
motionless  wings,  in  wide  circles  at  great  heights,  over  a  large  space 
of  territory,  in  search  of  food.  The  eggs  are  laid  on  the  ground 
between  old  logs,  in  hollow  stumps,  in  recesses  or  crevices  among 
rocks,  with  little  or  no  attempt  at  nest  building.  One  or  two  eggs  are 
laid,  elongate-ovate  in  shape,  and  their  color  is  described  as  plain,  pale 
greenish-blae  or  grayish-white ;  average  size  4.50x2.50. 

325.    Cathartes  aura    (Linn.)    [454-] 

Turkey  Vulture. 

Hab.  Nearly  all  of  temperate  and  tropical  America  from  New  Jersey,  Ohio  Valley,  Washington 
Territory,  Saskatchewan  region,  southward  to  '\Uagonia, 

The  common  Turkey  Buzzard  inhabits  the  United  States  and 
adjoining  British  Provinces  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific,  south 
through  Central  and  most  of  South  America,  and  is  resident  north  to 
about  40°.  Every  farmer  knows  it  to  be  an  industrious  scavenger, 
devouring  at  all  times  the  putrid  or  decomposing  flesh  of  carcasses.  It 
is  essentially  gregarious,  not  only  flying  and  feeding  in  company,  but 
resorting  to  the  same  spot  to  roost ;  breeding  also  in  communities  and 
sometimes  by  single  pairs ;  depositing  its  eggs  on  the  ground,  on 
rocks,  or  in  hollow  logs  and  stumps,  usually  in  thick  woods  or  in  a 
sycamore  grove,  in  the  bend  or  fork  of  a  stream.  The  nest  is  fre- 
quently built  in  a  tree  or  in  the  cavity  of  a  sycamore  stump. 

In  the  vicinity  of  Tampa,  Florida,  Mr.  Stuart  says  the  eggs  of  this 
bird  are  laid  in  February  and  March ;  in  Indian  Territory  they  are 
deposited  in  March,  April  and  May.  In  Arizona  and  Colorado  it  nests 
in  the  latter  part  of  April  and  in  May.  Mr.  Shields  states  that  in  the 
region  of  Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  this  bird  begins  laying  about  April  15. 
He  observes  that  although  the  usual  nesting  sites  are  chosen,  the 
favorite  place  for  depositing  the  eggs  is  a  little  depression  u^der  a 

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162 


NESTS  AND   EGGS  OF 


small  bush  or  overhanging  rock  on  a  steep  hillside.  In  Ohio  and  other 
eastern  States  fresh  eggs  may  be  found  in  April  and  May. 

Notwithstanding  the  arguments  set  forth  by  renowned  naturalists 
that  this  bird  is  not  possessed  of  an  extraordinary  power  of  smell,  it 
has  been  proven  recently  by  the  most  satisfactory  experiments  that  the 
Turkey  Buzzard  does  possess  a  keen  sense  of  smell  by  which  it  can 
distinguish  the  odor  of  flesh  at  an  immense  distance.  The  flight  of  this 
Vulture  is  truly  beautiful,  and  no  landscape  with  its  patches  of  green 
woods  and  grassy  fields,  is  perfect  without  its  dignified  figure,  high  in 
air,  moving  in  round  circles ;  so  steady,  graceful  and  easy,  and  appa- 
rently without  any  effort.  It  is  a  very  silent  bird,  only  uttering  a  hiss 
of  d'  fiance  or  warning  to  its  neighbors  when  feeding,  or  a  low  gutteral 
croak  of  alarm  when  flying  low  overhead. 

The  eggs  are  creamy  or  yellowish-white,  variously  blotched  and 
splashed  with  different  shades  of  brown  and  iisually  showing  other 
spots  of  lavender  and  purplish-drab ;  two  in  number,  sometimes  only 
one;  average  size  about  2.73x1.87.  Six  specimens  measure  2.80X 
1.89,  2.73x1.89,  2.79x1.97,  2.80XI.91,  2.84x1.88,  2.87x1.90.  Mr. 
H.  R.  Taylor,  of  Alameda,  Cal.,  records  finding  early  in  April  a  set  of 
immaculate  eggs  of  this  species.* 

Mr.  J.  Parker  Norris  has  a  series  of  thirteen  sets  in  his  cabinet,  and 
they  show  great  variation  in  size  and  coloring.  They  all  contain  two 
eggs  each.  The  ground  color  on  nearly  all  of  them  is  creamy  or 
yellowish-white,  and,  as  a  rule,  they  can  readily  be  distinguished  from 
eggs  of  C.  atrata^  as  the  ground  color  of  the  latter  is  usually  of  a  bluish- 
white.  The  spots  on  the  eggs  of  aura  are  more  in  number,  but  as  a 
rule  not  as  large  as  those  on  atrata, 

326.    Catharista  atrata    (Bartr.)    [455-] 

Black  Vulture. 

Hab.  Whole  of  tropical  and  warm-temperate  America,  south  to  Argentine  Republic  and  Chili,  north 
regularly  to  the  Carolinas  and  Lower  Mississippi  Valley,  irregularly  or  casually  to  Maine,  New  York,  Ohio, 
Indiana,  Illinois,  etc. 

This  Vulture,  called  Carrion  Crow,  is  very  common  along  our 
South  Atlantic  and  Gulf  States,  and  is  resident  from  South  Carolina 
southward  ;  in  many  places  it  is  more  numerous  than  the  Turkey 
Buzzard,  and  its  general  traits,  nesting  habits,  etc.,  are  the  same,  breed- 
ing in  hollow  logs,  decayed  trunks  of  trees,  stumps,  and  on  the  ground. 
In  the  Southern  Atlantic  cities  the  Black  Vulture  is  said  to  be  a  semi- 
domestic  bird,  and  even  protected  by  law.  Their  services  as  scaven- 
gers in  removing  offal  render  them  valuable  and  almost  a  necessity  in 
Southern  cities. 

oOrnithol.  gist  and  Oclogist,  Vol.  XIII,  p.  102. 


tiiifk^iitltttt; 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


163 


On  an  island  near  Beaufort,  South  Carolina,  Mr.  Walter  Hoxie 
found  the  Black  Vulture  nesting  under  a  dense  growth  of  yucca.  No 
attempt  was  made  at  forming  a  nest,  or  even  excavating  a  hollow. 
The  eggs  are  laid  far  in  under  the  intertwining  stems  of  the  yucca  and 
in  the  semi-shadows  were  quite  hard  to  be  seen.  Mr.  Hoxie  states  that 
the  parent  birds  have  the  habit  of  always  following  the  same  path  in 
leaving  and  approaching  the  nesting  place.  By  these  paths,  which 
were  often  winding,  he  was  able  to  discover  the  eggs.*  Both  sexes 
assist  in  incubation  and  two  eggs  constitute  the  nest  complement.  Mr. 
Hoxie  never  observed  a  bird  sitting  on  a  single  egg,  and  so  far  as  he 
was  able  to  determine  the  period  of  incubation  is  nearly  thirty  days ; 
eggs  were  taken  from  May  2  to  May  26.  He  states  that  Mr.  Alfred 
Cuthbert  took  a  set  of  three  eggs  in  1884. 

The  eggs  are  generally  broadly  elliptical-ovate  in  shape  and  simi- 
lar in  color  to  those  of  the  Turkey  Vulture — bluish-white,  blotched 
and  spotted  with  very  dark  brown  and  umber — not  so  densely  marked 
as  those  of  Cathartes  atira  ;  average  size  3.10x2.04. 

Mr.  Norris  has  a  series  of  fourteen  sets  in  his  cabinet  which  show 
very  great  variations  in  size  and  coloring.  The  ground  color  of  the 
eggs  of  this  species  is,  however,  generally  of  a  bluish-white,  and 
this  enables  one  to  separate  their  eggs  from  those  of  C.  aura.  The 
spots  are  also,  as  a  rule,  larger  and  bolder,  though  fewer  in  number 
than  on  the  eg^gs  of  C.  aura. 

327.    Elanoides  forficatus    (Linn.)    [426.] 

Swallow-tailed  Kite. 

Hab.  Tropical  and  warm-tem  lerate  parts  of  continental  America,  north  r  egularly  up  the  Mississippi 
Valley  to  Illinois,  Iowa,  Minnesota,  e  .c.     Casually  east  to  Pennsylvania  and  southern  New  England. 

This  beautiful  species,  noted  for  its  graceful  and  elegant  flight,  is 
an  abundant  summer  resident  of  the  Southern  United  States  as  far 
north  as  Virginia,  occasionally  straying  to  the  Middle  States,  and  regu- 
larly far  up  the  Mississippi  Valley.  Skins  of  this  Kite  are  in  my 
collection  which  were  taken  in  Ohio,  August  22,  1878,  and  July  10, 
1883.  Previous  to  these  records  it  has  not  been  heard  of  in  the  State 
since  1858. 

The  favorite  resorts  of  this  bird  are  bottom  woodlands  near  prairies 
or  fields.  Its  food  consists  of  small  reptiles  and  insects ;  it  is  particu- 
larly fond  of  small  snakes  and  lizards,  grasshoppers,  crickets,  and 
various  beetles.  The  nest  of  this  Kite  is  built  at  the  extremity  of 
small  branches  near  the  tops  of  the  tallest  trees.  The  one  represented 
in  our  illustration  is  taken  from  a  sketch  made  on  the  spot  by  Mr.  J. 

*  Breeding  Habits  of  the  Black  Vulture.     By  Walter  Hoxie.    Auk,  III,  pp.  246-2-17. 


V     ' 


I  ■  ^ 


164 


NESTS  AND   EGGS  OF 


A.  Siiigley,  of  Giddings,  Lee  county,  Texas.  This  nest,  as  represented, 
is  placed  in  the  top  branches  of  a  pecan  tree  ;  it  is  composed  of  sticks 
and  pieces  of  green  moss,  some  of  the  moss  hanging  over  the  sides, 
giving  it  a  beautiful  appearance  when  seen  from  the  ground.  Out- 
wardly it  measures  eighteen  inches  in  diameter ;  depth  twelve  inches. 
Two  eggs  from  this  nest  measure  1.77x1.43,  1.81x1.45.  In  other 
localities  the  materials  for  the  nest  differ,  no  moss  being  used.  Mr. 
Singley  states  that  the  birds  are  very  vicious  while  nesting ;  he  has 
seen  them  attack  and  drive  off  Owls,  Turkey  Buzzards,  Florida  Red- 
shouldered  Hawk,  Bittco  lincatiis  allenj\  Black  Vultures  and  Crows. 
On  April  25,  1885,  while  his  collector,  Mr.  Theodore  Thassler,  was 
climbing  to  the  nest  represented  in  the  engraving,  he  was  almost 
knocked  out  of  the  tree  by  the  birds ;  and  before  he  could  secure  the 
eggs  w?.3  compelled  to  kill  the  most  pugnacious  one,  which  proved  to 
be  the  male.  Unlike  the  White-tailed  Kite,  when  the  nest  is  disturbed 
the  birds  will  desert  it. 

Mr.  J.  Parker  Norris  was  the  first  to  notice  the  error  in  the 
statement  made  by  Aiidubon  and  siibsequent  ornithologists  that 
this  species  lays  from  four  to  six  eggs.  All  early  ornithological 
writers  have  followed  Audubon  with  this  statement.  Some  of  our  best 
field-workers  have  received  reports,  seemingly  from  good  sources,  to 
the  effect  that  as  many  as  four  and  six  eggs  have  been  taken  from  a 
single  nest,  but  as  far  as  I  am  aware  none  of  these  large  sets  have 
made  their  appearance  in  any  of  the  well-known,  reliable  collections. 
Judging  from  the  large  amount  of  material  at  hand  on  the  subject  we 
shall  accept  the  facts  in  the  results  of  observations  made  by  recent 
ornithologists,  that  the  Swallow-tailed  Kite  deposits  two  and  rarely 
three  eggs.  Mr.  Singley  took  seven  sets  in  the  season  of  1887,  and 
was  fortunate  enough  to  find  one  containing  three  eggs,  and  a  nest 
with  three  young.  The  color  of  the  eggs  is  white,  greenish  or  yellow- 
ish-white, spotted  and  blotched  with  brown  and  umber  of  varying 
shades  ;  some  are  sparingly  marked  with  specks  of  dark  brown,  in 
others  the  spots  are  clustered  about  the  large  end.  The  markings  are 
often  large  and  of  a  rich  chestnut  and  mahogany  color.  A  set  of  two 
eggs  in  the  collection  of  Mr.  Norris  measure  1.80x1.50,  1.88x1.48. 
These  were  taken  in  Lavaca  county,  Texas,  April  20,  1885. 

During  a  trip  to  Texas,  in  1888,  Mr.  G.  B.  Benners  and  Mr.  Thos. 
Gillin  collected  six  sets  of  eggs  of  this  bird  in  that  State.  One  set 
contained  three  eggs,  another  only  one,  while  the  other  four  nests  had 
two  eggs  each.  .    ,  „  ^    . 


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3 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS.  166 

328.    Elanus  leucurus  (Vieill.)    [427.] 

"Whlte-taUed  Kite. 

Hab.  Southern  portion  of  the  United  States,  from  South  Carolina,  Southern  Illinoii,  and  California, 
southward  into  South  America. 

The  Black-shouldered  or  White-tailed  Kite  is  distributed  through- 
out Southern  United  States  from  the  Atlantic  to  Pacific,  and  southward 
into  tropical  America.  In  the  East  it  is  found  as  far  north  as  Southern 
Illinois;  in  the  West  as  far  north  as  Indian  Territory  and  Middle  Cali- 
fornia. The  flight  of  this  bird  is  said  to  be  easy  and  graceful,  but  not 
rapid.  Sometimes  it  stops  for  a  few  moments,  descends  with  great 
velocity  to  the  ground  to  capture  a  lizard  or  snake.  The  nest  of  this 
species,  like  that  of  the  Swallow-tailed  Kite,  is  always  placed  just  as 
high  in  the  tree  as  possible.  Prof.  B.  W.  Evermann  informs  me  that 
of  all  the  nests  he  examined  he  did  not  notice  an  exception  in  this 
respect.  It  is  not  a  very  substantial  structure,  composed  of  sticks, 
forming  scarcely  more  than  a  mere  platform,  the  cavity  being  quite 
shallow ;  it  is  very  sparingly  lined  with  the  inner  bark  of  the  cotton- 
wood,  sometimes  with  straw.  When  robbed  of  a  first  set  of  eggs 
another  is  likely  to  be  laid.  Prof.  Evermann  states  that  the  usual  time 
of  nesting  in  the  Santa  Clara  Valley  is  from  April  i  to  May  i.  Nests 
of  this  Kite  have  been  found  in  Southern  Texas  which  were  placed  in 
bushes  only  seven  or  eight  feet  from  the  ground. 

Mr.  Samuel  C.  Evans  took  six  sets  of  the  eggs  of  this  species  in 
San  Jose  Valley  between  May  i  and  22,  1886 ;  one  of  two  eggs  on 
the  ist  was  far  advanced  in  incubation ;  one  of  four  on  the  8th  was 
fresh ;  another  of  two  on  the  19th  was  fresh  ;  two  sets  of  two  each,  taken 
on  the  20th,  in  which  incubation  had  begun,  and  on  the  22d  a  set  of  five 
fresh  eggs  was  taken.  The  nests  were  placed  in  sycamores,  oaks  and 
maple  trees;  one  was  situated  forty  feet  from  the  ground,  and  the 
heights  of  the  others  ranged  about  fifteen  feet.  Mr.  Evans,  in  several 
cases,  placed  small  painted  hen  eggs  in  the  Kites'  nests,  and  the  birds 
did  not  detect  the  difference,  but  continued  laying.  The  eggs  are  of  a 
dull,  creamy-white,  thickly  blotched,  dotted  and  tinged  with  deep 
chestnut,  in  some  almost  completely  covering  the  whole  ground  ;  nearly 
spherical ;  four  to  six ;  this  is  the  number  usually  stated,  but  four  is 
almost  invariably  the  number  of  eggs  laid.  A  set  of  four  eggs  collected 
by  Prof.  Evermann  in  the  Santa  Clara  Valley,  California,  measiire  1.64 
X  1.27,  1.62x1,27,  1.69x1.27,  J.62X  1.27. 

Mr.  J.  Parker  Norris  has  two  sets  of  eggs  of  this  species  in  his 
cabinet,  both  collected  in  California.  One  set,  containing  three  eggs, 
have  the  markings  much  lighter  than  the  other  set,  whiclr  consists  of 


ffi 


i=    ■- 


166 


NESTS  AND   EGGS  OF 


four  eggs.    These  latter  are  of  the  dark  type,  which  appears  to  be  the 
commoner  form  of  markings. 

329.    Ictinia  mississipplensis  (Wils.)    [428.] 

MiMlaalppl  Kite. 

Hab.  Southern  United  States,  east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  southward  from  South  Carolina  on  tht 
coast,  and  casually  or  irregularly  to  Kansas,  Iowa,  Wisconsin  on  the  interior;  south  to  Mexico. 

The  Mississippi  Kite  is  a  summer  resident  in  the  southern  portion 
of  the  United  States.  It  is  irregular  in  its  distribution,  and  its  occur- 
rence in  particular  localities  is  uncertain,  often  being  found  common  in 
regions  where  it  was  formerly  rare.  It  is  generally  found  in  the  same 
localities  with  the  Swallow-tailed  Kite,  and,  like  the  latter  species,  its 
extremely  beautiful  flight  is  one  of  the  bird's  characteristics.  It  often 
soars  so  high  in  the  air  as  to  be  almost  invisible.  Like  the  Swallow- 
tail species,  its  food  consists  of  insects,  small  snakes  and  lizards. 

The  nests  of  the  Mississippi  Kite  are  built  in  the  tops  of  gigantic 
pines,  pin  oaks,  sycamores,  cottonwood,  elm,  and  lofty  cypress  trees. 

Mr.  J.  A.  Singley  has  a  nest  which  he  took  in  Lee  county,  Texas, 
which  was  placed  in  the  forks  of  a  live  oak  twenty-two  feet  from  the 
ground.  The  foundation  and  sides  of  the  nest  is  built  entirely  of  small 
sticks,  the  interior  portion  of  small,  green  oak  twigs  in  leaf,  and  leaves 
of  the  mesquite  tree ;  the  lining  is  of  green  moss,  on  top  of  which  are 
placed  green  leaves  of  the  pecan  tree.  The  outer  diameter  from  the 
ends  of  the  longest  twigs  is  seventeen  inches,  the  most  compact  portion 
eleven  inches ;  interior  diameter  five  inches  ;  outer  depth  seven  inches, 
inside  one  and  a  half  inches.  Mr.  Singley  states  that  the  measure- 
ments of  two  eggs  taken  May  22,  1886,  now  in  the  cabinet  of  Mr.  J. 
Parker  Norris,  is  1.65x1.40,  1.63x1.34;  they  are  bluish-white  un- 
marked, one  of  them  having  light  brown  stains  on  it.  They  were 
taken  from  a  nest  placed  in  the  slender  forks  of  a  small  post  oak 
about  thirty  feet  from  the  ground ;  it  was  made  of  sticks  and  weed 
stems,  lined  with   willow  twigs   in   leaf. 

Mr.  Singley  has  given  me  the  sizes  of  the  eggs  of  four  sets  which 
he  collected  in  the  season  of  1887.  Three  of  these  sets  were  of  two 
eggs  each  and  one  of  three ;  their  color  was  invariably  bluish-white, 
unmarked,  and  their  sizes  are  as  follows:  1.53x1.34,  1.64x1.36, 
1.71XI.32,  1.63x1.34,  1.60x1.35,  1.67x1.32,  1.65x1.34,  1.59x1.35, 
1.62x1.33.  Considerable  variation  will  be  noticed  in  the  length  of 
these  specimens,  while  their  diameter  is  very  uniform. 

Col.  N.  S.  Goss  found  this  species  breeding  in  company  with  the 
Swallow-tailed  Kite  in  the  vicinity  of  Neosho  Falls,  Kansas.  An  egg 
was  taken  July  5,  from  an  old  crow's  nest,  fitted  up  with  a  few  extra 


NORTH   AMERICAN    BIRDS. 


167 


Ik 


sticks  and  green  twigs  in  leaf  for  lining.  It  was  placed  in  a  medium- 
sized  oak  about  forty  feet  from  the  ground.  The  egg,  which  was  ad- 
vanced in  incubation,  he  describes  a  pure  white,  size  1.70x1.35.* 

Col.  Goss  also  observed  the  Mississippi  Kite  nesting  in  the  timber 
lands  bordering  Medicine  River,  near  Sun  City,  Barber  county,  Kansas, 
and  found  seven  r  sts  on  the  22d  of  May  ;  on  the  31st  he  collected  four 
sets  of  eggs  containing  two  each,  and  one  nest  contained  a  single  egg. 
June  loth,  two  more  sets  of  two  eggs  each  were  taken.  Col.  Goss  de- 
scribes the  eggs  as  "white  or  bluish-white;"  the  last  two  sets  were 
stained  by  the  wet  leaves  in  the  nests.  The  eggs  measure  by  sets  as 
follows:  First,  1.55x1.33,  1.52x1.36;  second,  1.76x1.48,1.65x1.35; 
third,  1. 70x1. 39,  1.56x1.35;  fourth,  1.70x1.37,  1.68x1.30;  fifth,  1.75 
XI.30;  sixth,  1.54x1.31,  1.45x1.24;  seventh,  1.70x1.38,  1.68x1.43. 
The  nests  were  all  built  either  in  the  forks  from  the  main  body,  or  in 
tne  forks  of  the  larger  limbs  of  the  cottonwood  and  elm  trees,  and  when 
old  would  be  taken  for  the  nests  of  the  common  Crow.  Their  height 
from  the  ground  ranged  from  twenty-five  to  fifty  feet,  f 

Mr.  R.  E.  Rachford  informs  me  that  he  took  two  sets  of  the  eggs 
of  this  species  in  Texas  from  nests  situated  about  thirty  feet  from  the 
ground  in  oak  trees.  The  color  of  the  eggs  he  describes  as  white,  with 
a  slight  greenish  tinge. 

330.    Rostrhamus  sociabilis    (Vieill).     [429.] 

Everglad*  Kits. 

Hab.  Florida,  Atlantic  coast  of  Mexico,  part  of  West  Indies,  Central  America,  E^astern  portion  of 
South  America  to  the  Argentine  Republic. 

This  slate-colored  Kite  is  a  resident  of  the  Everglades  of  Florida, 
and  also  occurs  in  the  fresh  water  marshes  and  lakes  of  the  middle 
and  southern  portions  of  the  State. 

Mr.  W.  E.  D.  Scott  found  it  abundant  at  Panasofkee  Lake,  about 
February  first,  where  it  was  feeding  on  a  kind  of  fresh-water  snail, 
which  was  very  abundant,  and  the  local  name  given  the  bird  is 
"  Snail  Hawk."  The  birds  fish  over  shallow  water,  after  the  manner 
of  gulls ;  securing  a  snail  by  diving,  they  carry  it  to  the  most  available 
perch,  when  the  animal  is  dexterously  taken  from  the  shell  without 
injury  to  the  latter.  At  many  places  where  a  particularly  convenient 
tree  or  stiib  rises  out  of  the  saw-grass,  the  ground  is  literally  heaped 
with  the  empty  shells  of  the  snails.  J 

The  nesting  season  of  this  species  in  the  Everglades  of  Florida  is 
in  March,  some  pairs  breeding  later  than  others,  and  t^  o  or  three  eggs 

*Auk,  Vol.  II,  p.  21.  ,    : 

t  Auk,  Vol.  IV,  pp.  341-^45.  .-..,'  ' 

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NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


are  deposited.  The  nests  are  built  in  tall,  rank  grass  and  bushes ;  es- 
pecially in  the  saw-grasses,  about  a  foot  below  the  tops,  just  so  as  to  be 
out  of  sight,  and  the  nests  are  usually  composed  of  the  same  material ; 
they  measure  about  a  foot  in  diameter,  with  a  cavity  three  inches  deep. 
Mr.  H.  B.  Bailey  describes  a  set  of  three  eggs,  taken  in  the  Ever- 
glades, March  i6,  by  E.  W.  Montreuil;  their  sizes  are  1.91  x  1.50,  1.80  x 
1. 51,  1.80  X  1.45;  the  color  of  one  is  light  brown,  nearly  obscured  by 
large  blotches  of  dark  and  reddish-brown;  anotl^er  has  a  dirty-white 
ground  color,  with  spots  and  blotches  of  various  shades  of  brown, 
which  become  smaller  and  fewer  at  the  smaller  end.  It  resembles  the 
common  varieties  of  eggs  of  the  European  Sparrow  Hawk,  Accipiter 
nisus.  The  third  is  of  a  greenish- white,  over  the  smaller  end  are 
scrawls,  lines  and  a  few  spots  of  light  and  dark  brown.* 

331.    Circus  hudsonius    (Linn).    [430.] 

Marsh  Haivfc. 

Hab.    Whole  of  North  America,  south  in  winter  to  Panama,  the  Bahamas  and  Cuha. 

The  Marsh  Hav;k,  Blue  Hawk,  or  Harrier,  is  distributed  through- 
out the  whole  of  North  America,  It  is  one  of  the  most  abundant 
and  widely-diffased  of  our  birds,  and  breeds  from  the  fur  country  of 
Hudson's  Bay  to  Texas,  and  from  Nova  Scotia  to  Oregon  and  Cali- 
fornia. It  is  found  especially  in  regions  covered  by  bushes,  small 
trees,  rank  grass,  swamp  prairies  or  marshy  places.  Here  the  nest 
may  be  found,  placed  on  the  ground,  which  is  only  a  collection  of 
twigs  and  hay,  but  from  three  to  seven  inches  in  height  and  a  foot 
01  more  in  diameter.  Sometimes  the  nests  are  of  large  proportions, 
which  is  the  result  of  nesting  in  the  same  spot  for  a  number  of  years. 
The  eggs  are  frequently  laid  on  a  bed  of  green  moss,  with  the  material 
arranged  in  a  circular  form.  The  bird  may  often  be  seen  during  the 
spring  and  summer  months  sweeping  slowly  over  meadows  and  bot- 
tom lands  in  pursuit  of  gophers,  mice,  birds,  grasshoppers  and 
large  insects.  It  can  readily  be  recognized  by  the  entirely  pure  white 
upper  tail-coverts ;  the  male  above  bluish-ash,  whitening  below ;  the 
female  above  dark  umber-brown. 

Mr.  S.  F.  Rathbun  records  a  set  of  seven  eggs  taken  June  14,  at 
Dunnville,  Ontario,  and  Mr.  Norris  has  a  finely  marked  set  of  seven 
in  his  cabinet. 

Marsh  Hawks  frequently  begin  to  incubate  with  the  first  egg  and 
the  young  are  hatched  at  intervals,  after  the  manner  of  the  cuckoos. 
Fresh  eggs  may  be  found  from  the  first  of  May  to  the  15th  or  20th  of 
June,  according  to  locality. 

*Auk,  I,  p.  9j. 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 

The  eggs  are  greenish-white,  either  immaculate  or  faintly  spotted 
with  pale  brown  or  lilac,  rather  oval  in  shape ;  three  to  six  in  number, 
often  four  or  five,  and  measure  from  1.80  to  1.90  in  length  by  1.38  to 
145  in  breadth.  Mr.  Norris  has  sets  of  Marsh  Hawk  eggs  that  are 
as  heavily  marked  as  many  eggs  of  Buteo  lineatus.  They  were  taken 
by  the  famous  collector,  "  J.  M.  W."  (C.  L.  Rawson),  and  fully  identified. 


Hab. 


332.    Accipiter  velox    (Was). 

Sharp-shiiined  Hsixrk. 

Whole  of  North  America,  south  to  Panama. 


[433.] 


This  spirited  little  Hawk  is  distributed  at  large  throughout  North 
America  and  it  is  considered  an  abundant  species,  although  in  some 
localities  it  is  quite  rare.  Known  as  Pigeon  Hawk,  but  it  should  not 
be  confounded  with  Falco  coltimbarius. 

The  Sharp-shinned  Hawk  is  swift,  irregular  and  nervous  in  its 
flight;  is  one  of  the  most  daring  of  the  family,  often  successfully  at- 
tacking birds  of  its  own  weight ;  failing  sometimes  to  do  so  either  from 
oyer-confidence  in  its  own  abilities,  or  under-estimation  of  the  powers 
of  its  victim.  The  smaller  birds  and  quadrupeds,  young  chickens, 
pigeons,  small  reptiles  and  various  insects  constitute  this  bird's  food. 
The  nests  of  this  species  are  built  in  trees  in  dense  woods,  preferably 
pine  groves  ;  frequently  a  scrubby  oak  or  a  birch  offers  a  favorite  site, 
and  the  height  from  the  ground  may  range  from  ten  to  sixty  feet ;  the 
nests  generally  rest  against  the  trunk  of  the  tree  at  the  base  of  a  limb. 
The  composition  of  the  nests  are  small  sticks  forming  a  platform  with 
a  slight  hollow,  usually  without  lining.  Occasionally  nests  are  placed 
in  cavities  similar  to  those  of  the  Sparrow  Hawk,  or  upon  a  ledge  of 
rock  overhanging  a  lake  or  river. 

Mr.  O.  C.  Poling  informs  me  that  in  Western  Illinois  this  Hawk 
selects  for  the  site  of  its  nest  the  top  branches  of  an  almost  limbless 
tree,  uiually  an  oak,  which  is  situated  in  dense  woods ;  it  is  generally 
composed  of  oak  twigs  and  leaves.  Mr.  Poling  states  that  nesting  be- 
gins by  the  middle  of  April ;  all  the  nests  he  has  observed  contained 
five  eggs,  although  others  were  found  in  that  region  containing  three 
and  four. 

Mr.  Charles  F.  Morrison,  of  Fort  Lewis,  Colorado,  took  a  set  of  three 
eggs  June  22  from  a  dilapidated  Magpie's  nest,  the  arched  roof  of  which 
had  fallen  in,  and  formed  a  hollow,  which  was  lined  with  a  few  feathers 
upon  some  dead  leaves.  The  Marsh  Hawk  and  the  present  species 
deposit  their  eggs  when  other  Hawks  are  nearly  through  breeding. 
The  Sharp-shinned  Hawk's  eggs  may  be  found  in  the  first  week  of 


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NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


April  and  as  late  as  the  last  week  of  June ;  the  birds  seldom  occupy  a 
nest  the  second  time. 

Mr.  J.  Parker  Norris  has  a  large  series  of  these  eggs  in  his  collec- 
tion, consisting  of  seventeen  sets,  ranging  in  number  from  three  to 
five,  and  one  containing  the  unusual  number  of  seven  eggs ;  the  dates 
on  which  they  were  taken  is  from  April  1 1  to  June  26.  Most  of  these 
eggs  were  collected  by  the  experienced  oologist,  "  J.  M.  W.,"  Mr.  C. 
L.  Rawson,  of  Norwich,  Conn.  Mr.  Norris  also  describes  seventeen 
eggs  which  were  laid  in  succession  by  a  single  bird  between  May  23 
and  June  25.* 

The  eggs  of  the  Sharp-shinned  Hawk,  Mr.  Norris  states,  are  sub- 
ject to  great  variation  in  markings,  and  yet,  as  a  rule,  they  can  be  iden- 
tified at  a  glance.  With  the  exception  of  the  Sparrow  Hawk,  Tinnun- 
culus  sparverius.,  they  are  the  smallest  laid  by  any  of  the  hawks  found 
in  North  America,  and  among  the  most  beautiful  eggs  of  any  of  the 
Raptores.  Their  ground  color  varies  from  bluish-white  to  grayish- 
white,  spotted,  blotched,  speckled,  streaked  and  clouded  with  light 
fawn  color,  burnt  umber,  chestnut,  lavender-gray,  chocolate,  russet- 
brown  and  cinnamon,  exhibiting  an  endless  variety  of  bold  and  indis- 
tinct patterns  of  coloration  and  design.  The  usual  form  of  the  egg  is 
spherical,   of  nearly  equal  size   at  both   ends.     The  average   size  is 

1. 50x1. 16. 

333.    Accipiter  cooperi    (Bonap.)    [431.] 

Cooper'*  Hairk. 

Hab.     North  America  at  large;  greater  portion  of  Mexico. 

Distributed  throughout  temperate  North  America  at  large  as  a 
summer  resident,  and  well  known  to  the  farmers  by  the  name  of 
Chicken  Hawk.  Its  flight  is  easy  and  usually  slow,  but  the  bird  is 
quick  in  its  movements ;  its  long  tail  serving  the  purpose  of  a  rudder 
as  it  suddenly  pounces  upon  the  object  of  its  pursuit  or  quickly  ascends 
into  the  air.  This  and  the  last  species  are  perhaps  the  boldest  depre- 
dators of  the  family.  They  are  shy  and  difficult  of  approach,  yet  their 
imprudence  often  proves  fatal  to  them.  They  do  not  hesitate  to  attack 
chickens  in  the  presence  of  their  owners  ;  they  also  feed  largely  upon 
small  quadrupeds,  weasles,  squirrels  and  young  rabbits ;  snakes  and 
reptiles  are  among  their  victims. 

A  specimen  of  this  bird  is  in  my  collection  which  was  killed  by  a 
weasel  in  mid  air ;  the  weasel  sucking  the  blood  of  the  hawk,  while 
the  bird  was  struggling  with  its  intended  victim,  which  escaped 
unharmed. 

The  nests  of  Cooper's  Hawk  are  usually  placed  in  tall  trees,  from 

*  For  8  complete  d'sscription  of  this  series  of  e?rgs  see  Ornithologist  and  Oologist,  Vol.  XIII,  pp.  84-37. 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 

ten  to  fifty  feet  from  the  ground ;  frequently  an  old  Crow's  or  some  other 
Hawk's  nest  is  fitted  up  for  the  purpose,  which  is  occupied  for  a  suc- 
cession of  years,  and  the  nests  are  often  so  augmented  by  the  continu- 
ous adding  of  brush  and  rubbish  that  they  become  huge  structures. 
May  15,  1880,  a  collector  brought  me  a  set  of  four  eggs  taken  from  an 
old  squirrel's  nest.  Mr.  L.  Jones,  of  Grinnell,  Iowa,  writes  that  this 
Hawk  deposits  its  eggs  in  that  region  about  the  first  of  May.  The 
number  of  eggs  laid  ranges  from  four  to  six,  rarely  the  latter  number, 
and  they  may  be  found  in  various  sections  between  April  i  and  May  20. 

The  eggs  are  of  a  pale-bluish  or  greenish-white,  usually  spotted 
with  pale  reddish-brown.  Mr.  Norris  has  sets  of  these  eggs  that  are 
heavily  marked.  They  measure  from  1.80  to  2.10  long  by  1.40  to  1.62 
broad. 

A  set  of  four  eggs  from  Southern  Arizona,  taken  May  15,  measure 
1.9OXI.40,  1.95x1.42,  1.92x1.40,  1.90XI.42;  another  set  of  four  col- 
lected in  Central  Ohio,  April  9,  measure  1.89x1.40,  1,92x1.45,  1.93  x 
1.40,  1.90x1.42. 

334.    Accipiter  atricapillus    (Wils.)    [433.] 

American  Oosha-wrki 

Hab.  Northern  and  Eastern  North  America;  the  northern  half  of  United  States,  a  winter  resident 
in  some  parts. 

A  large  and  handsome  hawk — one  of  the  most  symmetrical  in  out- 
line of  the  family ;  known  to  breed  mostly  north  of  the  United  States. 
Its  breeding  places  are  usually  in  thick  evergreen  woods,  the  nest  be- 
ing placed  in  tall  hemlock  trees  ;  it  is  bulky  and  composed  of  sticks, 
twigs  and  weeds,  lined  with  bark  strips  and  grass.  The  eggs  are  two 
or  three  in  number,  bluish-white,  sometimes  faintly  spotted  with  yel- 
lowish-brown. Mr.  Norris  has  two  sets  of  these  eggs  in  his  collection  ; 
one  of  three  taken  at  Kentville,  Nova  Scotia,  April  26,  1888 ;  they  are 
bluish-white,  unmarked,  but  nest  stained;  sizes:  2.25x1.81,  2.36 x 
1. 71,  2.24  X  1.76;  the  other  of  two  eggs  taken  in  the  same  locality.  May 
5,  1888,  are  dull  bluish-white  and  measure  2.14  x  1,79,  2. 13  x  1.83.  Aver- 
age size  2.31  XI.75. 

334fl.    Accipiter  atricapillus  striatulus.    Ridgw.     [433«] 


Western  Ooihaw^k. 


Hab.    Western  North  America. 


A  darker  colored  race  than  the  foregoing,  inhabiting  the  Pacific 
coast  region,  north  to  Sitka,  breeding  in  the  Sierra  Nevadas  probably 
as  far  south  as  30°.  General  habits,  nesting,  eggs,  etc.,  the  same  as 
those  of  atricapillus.    Average  size  of  eggs  2.36  x  1.75. 


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NESTS  AND  EGGS  OP 


335.    Parabuteo  unicinctus  harrisi    (Aud.)    [434.] 

Harris's  Hawk. 

Hab.    Southern  border  of  the  United  States;  Mississippi,  Texas,  Arizona,  southward  to  Panama. 

This  bird  is  an  inhabitant  of  the  warmer  parts  of  America,  extending 
its  range  over  our  Mexican  border.  In  Texas  it  is  common,  especially 
about  the  mouth  of  the  Rio  Grande.  Its  habits  resemble  those  of  the 
Caracara  Eagle,  but  it  is  not  so  active,  and  the  nests  are  hardly  distin- 
guishable in  situation  and  construction.  It  is  said,  by  some  observers, 
to  subsist  entirely  on  carrion,  and  may  be  seen  in  company  with  the 
Turkey  Buzzard,  Black  Vulture  and  Caracara  Eagle. 

Mr.  Sennett  found  this  species  to  be  the  most  abundant  of  any 
other  of  the  family  on  the  Lower  Rio  Grande  in  Texas.  In  their 
crops  he  found  mice,  lizards,  birds  and  often  the  Mexican  striped 
gopher,  indicating  that  they  were  active  hunters  instead  of  sluggish 
birds. 

The  eggs  are  white,  with  a  yellowish  tinge,  sometimes  marked 
with  light  dashes  of  yellowish- brown  and  dottings  of  purplish  drab ; 
commonly  two  or  three  in  number,  rarely  four. 

Four  sets  of  these  eggs  are  in  the  cabinet  of  Mr.  J.  Parker  Norris, 
and  show  considerable  variation  in  size  and  shape.  One  set  of  three 
taken  near  Corpus  Christi,  Texas,  May  10, 1886,  are  entirely  dull  white  ; 
sizes,  2.19X  1.61,  2.13x1.63,  2.14X  1.58;  another  of  two  eggs  taken  in 
Cameron  county,  Texas,  May  25, 1886,  measure  2.083: 1.65,  2.19  x  1.71 ; 
a  set  of  three  eggs  from  the  same  place,  collected  April  25,  measure 
2.00X  1.65,  2.06 X  1.65,  2.13  X  1.69  ;  one  of  the  eggs  of  this  set  has  a  few 
faint  cinnamon  spots  ;  the  fourth  set  taken  in  Cameron  county,  Texas, 
May  3,  1886 ;  two  of  these  are  faintly  marked  with  laVender,  but  the 
third  is  distinctly  spotted  at  the  large  end  with  cinnamon  ;  sizes,  2.14 
XI.65,  1.94x1.61,  1.99x1.57. 

[336.1    Buteo  buteo    (Linn.)    [435.] 

European  Buzzard. 

Hab.    Northern  portions  of  the  Eastern  Hemisphere.     Accidental  in  Michigan? 

The  older  ornithologists  were  doubtless  mistaken  in  the  identifica- 
tion of  the  specimens  obtained  in  this  country,  which  they  describee 
and  figured  as  Btiteo  vulgaris  of  Europe. 

This  Hawk  has  been  entirely  excluded  from  our  fauna  by  more 
recent  authorities,  and  it  is  admitted  only  on  the  grounds  of  a 
single  specimen  taken  near  Paw  Paw,  Michigan,  by  J.  D.  Allen,  and 
received  in  the  skin  by  Mr.  C.  J.  Maynard  in  the  autumn  of  1873.  The 
bird  is  quite  common  in  England,  frequenting  the  more  cultivated  por- 
tions, as  well  as  the  very  wildest  parts  of  Scotland  and  tracts  of  Alpine 


NORTH   AMERICAN  BIRDS. 

forests,  where  its  favorite  breeding  place  is  on  the  edges  of  ravines. 
The  nest  is  placed  in  some  large  tree  or  on  a  ledge  of  rock,  and  is  built 
of  sticks  with  a  scanty  lining  of  wool  and  hair.  The  eggs  are  three 
or  four  in  number,  of  an  oval  form,  bluish-white,  with  pale  brown 
blotches  and  spots  of  yellowish-brown,  chiefly  at  the  larger  end.  A 
set  of  three  eggs  in  my  cabinet,  from  England,  measure  2.30  x  1.75, 
2.28x1.72,  2.30x1.68. 

337.    Buteo  borealis    (Gmel.)    [436.] 

Red-tailed  Hawk. 

Hab.     Eastern  portions  of  North  America,  west  to  the  Great  Plains. 

The  Red-tailed  Buzzard,  in  its  light  and  dark  geographical  races, 
is  distributed  throughout  the  whole  of  North  America.  This  species  is 
abundant  in  the  eastern  portion.  A  large  Hawk  and  a  notorious  visitor 
to  barn-yards,  though  lacking  much  of  the  pluck  and  dash  of  the  mem- 
bers of  some  of  the  preceding  genera  it  has  the  equally  successful 
quality  cf  perseverance.  The  food  ot  this  species  is  chiefly  small 
quadrupeds,  red  squirrels,  gophers  and  ground  moles,  and  the  remains 
of  these  rodents  may  always  be  found  in  this  bird's  nest  containing 
young.  The  Hawk  will  always  be  found  common  where  these  small 
animals  are  most  abundant. 

The  nest  is  placed  in  high  trees  in  deep  woods  ;  it  is  large  and 
bulky,  though  comparatively  shallow ;  made  of  sticks  and  twigs,  mixed 
together  with  corn-husks,  grass,  moss,  and  on  the  inside  may  be  found 
a  few  feathers.  Sometimes  the  deserted  nest  of  a  crow  or  that  of  another 
hawk  is  fitted  up  and  used.  Mr.  J.  Parker  Norris  records  a  nest  occu- 
pied first  by  the  Great  Horned  Owl  and  afterwards  by  the  Red-tailed 
Hawk,  each  year ;  the  young  owls  leave  the  nest  before  the  hawk  is 
ready  to  occupy  it. 

The  number  of  eggs  laid  by  this  species  is  two  or  three,  rarely 
four.  Mr.  Norris  has  a  series  of  twenty-seven  sets  collected  in  Connecti- 
cut, Pennsylvania,  Iowa,  Mississippi,  and  Texas  ;  nineteen  of  these  sets 
are  of  two  eggs,  six  of  three,  and  two  of  four.*  The  time  of  deposit- 
ing the  eggs  in  the  United  States  varies  according  to  locality  and  cir- 
cumstances, but  they  are  generally  laid  in  March  or  April.  Eggs  are 
found  in  different  stages  of  incubation  as  late  as  the  middle  or  latter 
part  of  May.  A  large  series  of  eggs  present  amazing  differences  in  size 
and  markings ;  their  ground  color  is  white  or  bluish-white  ;  some  are 
entirely  unmarked,  while  others  are  veiy  heavily  blotched  and  splashed 

*For  a  detailed  description  of  this  series  see  Ornithologist  and  Oologist,  Vol.  XI,  pp.  67-69.  Sinc6 
the  above  was  written  Mr.  Norris  has  increased  his  series  to  thirty-six  sets. 


I 


?  II  IK 


m 


w. 


i 


174 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OE 


with  many  shades  of  red  and  brown ;  some  are  faintly  marked  here 
and  there  with  a  light  purplish  tint,  and  again  the  colorings  may  form 
an  almost  confluent  wreath  at  either  end.  The  largest  eggs  in  Mr.  Nor- 
ris'  collection  measure  2.41  x  1.84,  2.37  x  2.cx) ;  the  smallest,  2.17  x  1.80, 
2.20  X  1.78.    The  average  size  is  2.36  x  1.80. 

337a.    Buteo  borealls  kriderii    Hoopes.    [436a.] 


Hab. 


Krider'a  Hawk. 

Great  Plains  of  the  United  States,  from  Minnesota  to  Texas. 


I 


This  lighter  colored  variety  of  the  Red-tailed  Hawk  occurs  in  the 
Great  Plains,  from  Minnesota  to  Texas ;  east  irregularly  or  casually 
to  Iowa  and  Northern  Illinois. 

Mr.  F.  M.  Dille  writes  that  this  bird  nests  in  remote  places  on  the 
plains  and  among  the  large  cliffs  of  Colorado.  He  was  unable  to  de- 
tect any  difference  between  the  nest  and  eggs  of  this  bird  and  those  of 
the  Western  Red-tail.  He  took  a  set  of  the  eggs,  three  in  number,  in 
Weld  county,  May  24, 1886,  from  a  nest  in  a  cottonwood  tree.  They  are 
now  in  the  collection  of  J.  Parker  Norris.  Two  of  these  specimens 
are  slightly  spotted  with  Vandyke  brown,  but  the  third  is  quite  heavily 
splashed  and  blotched  at  the  smaller  end  with  chestnut  and  cinnamon ; 
their  sizes  are  2.34x1.82,  2.30 x  1.84,  2.28 x  1.83. 

Mr.  Dille  states  that  the  nest  contained  cotton  balls,  from  the  tree 

in  which  it  was  placed ;  these  had  burst  and  made  excellent  soft  lining 

for  the  nest. 

337/^.    Buteo  borealls  calurus    (Cass.)    [436A] 

'Western  P.ed-tall. 

Hab.  Western  North  America,  especially  in  the  United  States,  from  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  the 
Pacific,  south  into  Mexico. 

A  blackish  or  sometimes  an  almost  entirely  sooty  variety  inhabit- 
ing Western  North  America.  In  all  respects  its  breeding  habits  are 
the  same  as  those  of  the  Eastern  representative,  nesting  in  the  branches 
of  lofty  oaks,  pines,  sycamores,  etc.  In  mountainous  regions  the  nests 
are  often  placed  on  the  narrow  ledges  of  cliffs.  The  eggs  can  not  be 
distinguished  from  those  of  B.  borealis. 

339.    Buteo  lineatus    (Gmel.)    [439] 

Red-shonldered  Hanrk. 

Hab.     Eastern  North  America,  north  to  Nova  Scotia;  west  to  the  edge  of  the  Great  Plains. 

This  large  species  is  one  of  the  commonest  hawks  in  the  United 
States,  and  it  is  especially  abundant  in  winter,  from  which  it  receives 
the  name  of  Winter  Falcon,  but  it  is  not  more  hardy  than  the  Red-tail. 
It  also  shares  the  name  of  Chicken  Hawk,  commonly  applied  to  all  the 
larger  hawks.  Only  occasionally  it  visits  the  barnyard,  its  diet  is  of  a 
more  humble  kind,  such  as  frogs,  rats,  mice  and  small  snakes. 


NORTH  AMERICAN   BIRDS. 

The  nesting  of  the  Red-shouldered  Hawk  is  very  much  the  same 
as  that  of  the  Red-tail,  but  in  many  sections  it  seems  to  have  a  prefer- 
ence for  lower  woods,  in  bottom  lands.  The  nest  is  said  nov  to  be  so 
long  re-occupied  by  the  birds.  The  eggs  are  usually  deposited  in  April 
or  May.  The  number  of  eggs  is  three  or  four,  sometimes  only  two. 
The  ground  color  is  bluish,  yellowish-white,  or  brownish,  spotted, 
blotched  and  dotted  irregularly  with  many  shades  of  reddish-brown ; 
they  are  usually  more  highly  colored  than  the  eggs  of  the  Red-tail. 
Some  of  them  are  exceedingly  handsome. 

A  series  of  sixty-one  sets  are  in  Mr.  Norris'  cabinet,  nearly  all  of 
which  were  collected  by  the  celebrated  oologist,  "  J.  M.  W.,"  (C.  L. 
Rawson) ;  they  show  a  wonderful  variation  in  size  and  markings,  rang- 
ing from  almost  unmarked  to  very  heavily  spotted  and  blotched  speci- 
mens. To  describe  all  the  shades  of  reds  and  browns,  which  comprise 
the  variation,  would  be  an  almost  endless  task,  and  a  large  series  like 
this  must  be  seen  in  order  to  appreciate  how  much  the  eggs  of  th^'s 
species  vary.     The  sizes  range  from  2.00  to  2.30  long  by  1.65  to  1.75 

broad. 

339a.    Buteo  lineatus  alleni    Ridgw. 

Florida  Red-ahonldered  Hatrk. 

Hab.     Florida,  Texas. 

In  Texas  Mr.  Singley  found  this  bird  breeding  in  the  densely 
wooded  bottom  lands,  in  tall  pin  oaks  that  border  the  streams.  He 
states  that  the  nest  is  placed  on  the  large  limbs  of  the  trees,  and  is 
constructed  of  large  and  small  sticks,  weeds  and  moss;  sometimes  it  is 
beautifully  decorated  with  Spanish  moss.  A  few  of  the  birds  prefer 
the  uplands  for  a  breeding  place,  and  select  pin  oaks  and  hickory  trees 
in  the  neighborhood  of  streams.  Mr.  Singley  says  this  Hawk  has 
the  peculiar  habit  of  placing  green  leaves  in  the  nest.  Sometimes  the 
leaves  are  bruised  and  often  stain  the  eggs,  and  by  the  time  incubation 
is  well  advanced  the  nest  is  half  full  of  the  leaves. 

Nest  building  commences  about  the  middle  of  March,  and  fresh 
sets  of  eggs  may  be  found  until  the  middle  of  April.  Two  or  three 
eggs  are  laid.  Mr.  Norris  has  seven  sets  collected  by  Mr.  Singley  in 
Lee  county,  Texas.  Their  ground-color  is  dull  white  or  bluish-white 
and  they  vary  from  almost  entirely  unmarked  to  heavily  blotched, 
spotted  and  speckled  with  red,  lilac  and  rich  reddish-brown.  They 
vary  in  size  from  1.96  to  2.19  long  by  1.67  to  1.73  broad. 

339(^.    Buteo  lineatus  elegans    (Cass.)    [439a.] 

Red-bellied  Hawk. 

Hab.     Pacific  coast  of  the  United  States,  south  into  Mexico, 

This  western  race,  whose  whole  under  plumage  is  of  a  rich  dark 


(J 


176 


NESTS   AND   EGGS   OP 


reddish  color,  is  distributed  from  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  the  Pacific. 
Nesting  and  eggs  similar  to  those  of  B.  I.  alleni.  Average  size  of  the 
eggs  is  2.19x1.71.  A  set  of  two  eggs  in  Mr.  Norris'  collection, 
taken  May  2,  1887,  in  Los  Angeles  county,  California,  measure  2.t2x 
1.75,  2.04  X  1.77.     They  are  grayish-white  spotted  with  russet. 

340.    Buteo  abbreviatus   Cahan.    [440.] 

ZonO'tailed  Hanvk. 

Hab.     Texa^,  Arizona  and  Southern  Califurnia,  louth  into  the  northern  portion  of  South  America. 

The  Zone-tailed  Hawk  is  a  peculiar  species,  unlike  any  other  of 
the  United  States.  It  is  slenderly  built  with  long  wings  and  tail  and 
in  its  various  plumages  is  not  yet  well  known.  The  bird  is  a  Mexican 
and  Guatamalian  species  and  is  of  quite  general  distribution  in  Texas 
and  Arizona  where  it  frequents  the  wooded  districts  in  the  vicinity  of 
streams.  Its  iood  is  small  birds,  quadrupeds,  beetles,  locusts  and 
grasshoppers.  In  Texas  and  Arizona  this  Hawk  has  been  found 
nesting  in  May,  fresh  eggs  being  taken  by  the  middle  of  the  month. 
The  nests  are  built  on  tall  trees,  such  as  cottonwood,  ash,  box-elders, 
sycamore  and  cypress  that  fringe  the  streams.  It  is  placed  from  fifteen 
to  forty  feet  from  the  ground,  in  the  horizontal  branches;  is  large  and 
bulky,  made  of  coarse  sticks,  lined  with  cottonwood  leaves  or  Spanish 
moss.  When  disturbed  while  incubating  the  bird  is  said  to  fly  off, 
uttering  a  loud  whistling  cry.  The  eggs  are  two  to  four  in  number ; 
dull  white,  usually  spotted,  splashed  or  speckled,  with  rich  chestnut  or 
umber-brown,  chiefly  at  the  larger  end ;  their  average  size  is  2.15  x  1.70. 

341.    Buteo  albicaudatus   Vieill    [441.] 

'White-tailed  Hawk. 

Hab.     Rio  Grande  Valley  of  Texas,  southward  through  Mexico,  Central  and  most  of  South  America. 

This  fine  Hawk  is  a  rather  common  resident  on  the  Rio  Grande 
of  Southern  Texas  and  southward.  Dr.  Merrill  mentions  two  nests 
which  he  found  May  2,  1878,  placed  in  the  top  of  a  yucca  growing  in 
Palo  Alto  prairie,  about  seven  miles  from  Fort  Brown.  The  nests  were 
not  more  than  eight  feet  from  the  ground,  and  were  good-sized  plat- 
forms of  twigs,  with  scarcely  any  lining.  While  examining  these 
nests,  the  parents  sailed  in  circles  overhead,  constantly  uttering  a  cry 
resembling  the  bleating  of  a  goat.  Each  nest  contained  one  egg.  The 
first  was' fresh;  size  2.35x1.91;  dirty-white,  with  a  few  reddish 
blotches  at  the  smaller  end.  The  second,  partly  incubated,  was  like 
the  first,  but  the  blotches  were  rather  sparsely  distributed  over  the 
entire  egg;  size,  2.35  x  1.85. 

Mr.  Edwin  C.  Davis  found  a  nest  of  this  Hawk  seven  miles  south 
of  Fort  Griffin,  Texas,  containing  two  slightly  incubated  eggs,  on  the 


NORTH   AMERICAN    BIRDS. 


177 


on 


the 


2d  of  June,  iSS'^ ;  it  was  in  a  mesquite  bush,  eight  feet  from  the 
ground.  This  is  doubtless  late  nesting,  as  all  other  nests  found  were 
empty. 

Three  sets  of  two  eggs  each  are  in  Mr.  Norris'  collection ;  one 
taken  May  2,  1884,  near  Corpus  Christi,  measures  2.20  x  1.80,  2.19X  1.80; 
their  color  is  light  grayish,  faintly  and  sparingly  spotted  with  light 
drab;  another  collected  in  the  same  locality  March  24,  1886,  one  egg  of 
which  is  unmarked,  and  the  other  faintly  spotted  wi'^i  fawn  color  at 
the  large  end;  sizes,  2.17  x  1.77,  2.25  x  1.78 ;  the  third  set  was  taken  on 
the  Arkansas  river,  Texas,  April  2,  1888;  they  are  dull  grayish-white, 
faintly  and  sparingly  marked  with  light  fawn  color  ;  sizes,  2.33  x  1.65, 
2.30x1.73. 

342.    Buteo  swainsoni    Bonap    [442.] 

Swalnson's  Ha'wk. 

Hab.  Western  North  America  from  the  Mississippi  Valley  to  the  Pacific  ;  north  to  the  Arctic  regions 
and  south  to  Buenos  Ayres.     Casual  in  New  England. 

One  of  the  commonest  and  most  characteristic  of  the  large  Hawks 
in  various  places  of  the  West.  Many  are  killed,  as  they  commit  great 
depredations  in  the  poultry  yards ;  their  food,  however,  consists  largely 
of  birds  and  the  smaller  quadrupeds — squirrels,  gophers,  rats,  mice,  etc. 
The  flight  of  vSwaiuson's  Hawk  is  usually  slow,  but  in  pursuit  of  its 
prey  its  swiftness  is  said  to  remind  one  of  the  dash  of  Accipiter  velox^ 
Sharp-shinned  Hawk.  The  sites  which  are  chosen  for  nesting  places 
by  this  Hawk  are  extremely  variable  ;  in  some  localities  the  nest  is 
built  on  the  ground,  on  bushes,  small  saplings  and  on  the  ledges  of 
rocky  cliffs.  Old  nests  of  hawks  and  crows  are  fitted  up  for  the  occa- 
sion ;  but  usually  it  is  built  in  the  tallest  trees  and  in  an  almost  inac- 
cessible position  in  the  outer  branches. 

Mr.  L.  Jones  states  that  in  Iowa  this  bird,  while  breeding,  is  found 
principally  in  moderately  timbered  tracts,  selecting  less  inaccessible 
places"  for  its  nests  than  Buico  borealis^  but  of  the  same  position  and 
composition.     The  eggs  are  deposited  as  late  as  May  15,  usually  May  i. 

Mr.  A.  M.  Shields  took  a  set  of  two  eggs  of  this  Hawk,  May  21, 
1886,  in  the  vicinity  of  Los  Angeles,  California,  from  a  nest  situated 
in  the  extremity  of  the  branches  of  an  oak  tree,  fully  fifty  feet  from 
the  ground;  these  are  in  my  cabinet  and  measure  2.00x1.61,  2.20X 
1.67.  The  eggs  of  this  Hawk  are  two  to  four  in  number,  greenish- 
white,  buSy-white  or  colorless,  sometimes  unmarked,  but  usually 
spotted,  stained  or  blotched  with  reddish  or  rusty-brown.  Their  aver- 
age size  is  2.21  X  1.70. 

13 


178  NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 

343.    Buteo  latisslmus    (Wilb.)    [443.] 

Broad-irlnged  Haivk. 

Hab.  Eattern  North  America,  from  New  llriinswick  and  the  Saikatchewan  country  (outh  to  Texts, 
Mexico,  Central  America,  northern  portion  of  South  America  and  West  Indlo. 

The  Broad-winged  Hawk  is  of  general  distribution  in  eastern 
North  America.  It  makes  its  summer  home  in  the  solitudes  of  den.se 
woodlands,  usually  in  the  vicinity  of  a  marsh,  lake  or  river.  The  bird  is 
of  an  unsuspicious  and  spiritless  character,  frequently  permitting  the 
intruder  to  approach  within  a  few  yards  of  it  without  exhibiting  the 
least  alarm.  When  the  nest  is  approached  this  Hawk  is  said  to  utter  a 
piercing  cry  of  alarm.  Its  food  consists  of  squirrels,  weasels,  frogs,  mice 
and  small  birds.  Not  always  are  the  highest  trees  selected  as  nesting 
sites ;  in  some  sections  the  crotches  and  branches  of  trees,  ten  to  forty  feet 
from  the  ground,  are  usually  chosen,  while  in  other  regions  the  tallest 
oak  and  hickory  trees,  sixty  to  eighty  feet  from  the  ground,  are  pre- 
ferred. Abandoned  crows'  nests  are  likewise  made  use  of  by  this 
species.*  The  nests  are  coarsely  constructed  of  sticks,  lined  with 
fibrous  roots,  bark  strips,  moss  or  feathers. 

The  eggs  of  the  Broad-winged  Hawk  are  usually  deposited  in 
May.  In  the  forests  of  the  Red  River  of  the  North  in  Minnesota,  Mr. 
J.  W.  Preston  found  the  eggs  in  the  latter  half  of  May;  they  have  been 
taken  near  St.  John,  New  Brunswick,  as  late  as  June  23  ;  in  Monroe 
county,  Pennsylvania,  June  6 ;  and  Northhampton  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, May  17  and  18;  near  Framingham,  Massachusetts,  May  25;  in 
Lafayette  county,  Mississippi,  April  9,  May  17  and  18.  Mr.  O.  C.  Pol- 
ing took  sets  of  this  Hawk's  eggs  near  Quincy,  Illinois,  in  May.  A 
set  of  two  eggs  were  brorght  to  me  which  were  taken  in  Knox  county, 
Ohio,  May  26,  1886. 

The  eggs  are  of  a  grayish,  lavender-gray  or  yellowish-white  ground 
color,  variously  marked  with  spots  and  blotches  of  fawn  color  and  um- 
ber-brown and  chestnut.  Two  or  three  are  the  usual  number  laid,  and 
four  are  exceptional.    The  average  size  is  1.90  x  1.54.! 

*Many  nests  of  the  Raptores  described  by  writers  as  resembling  those  of  the  Crow  may  safely  be 
attributed  to  the  latter  as  their  architects,  and  wherever  Crows  breed  abundantly  it  is  almost  an  assurance 
that  some  species  of  Hawk  or  Owl  may  be  found  nesting  in  the  immediate  vicinity. 

fThis  is  the  average  size  given  by  Mr.  Norris,  taken  from  a  series  of  seventeen  sets  in  his 
cabinet,  nine  of  which  came  from  Minnesota,  three  from  Mississippi,  one  from  Massachusetts,  and  four 
from  Pennsylvania;  forty-two  eggs  in  all.  Mr.  Norris  states  that  there  are  two  types  of  coloration  in  the 
series;  twenty-four  of  the  eggs  have  markings  of  very  subdued  tints  of  pearl-gray,  lavendar-gray,  lilac-gray 
and  ecru-drab,  on  a  faint  yellowish  or  bluish-white  ground ;  the  tints  in  many  instances  have  the  appearance 
of  being  under  the  shell,  and  are  present  in  specks,  spots  and  blotches.  The  remaining  eighteen  eggs  are 
marked  with  spots  and  blotches  of  fawn  color,  russet,  walnut-brown,  burnt  umber  and  chestnut.  Some  of 
the  sizes  from  this  series  are  as  follows:  1.74x152,  1.76x1.50,  1.85x1.46,  1.87x1.53,  1.90 x  1.43,  1.00x1.54, 
1.99x1.63,2.01x1.62,2.06x1.52.    See  Ornithologist  and  Oologist,  Vol.  XII,  pp.  O-ll,  and  Vol.  XIII,  p.  21. 


NORTH  AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


179 


25 


in 


ground 


345.    Urnbltlnga  anthracina    (Licht.)    [444.] 

Mezloan  Blsok  Hawk. 

Hab,   Arizona,  southward  to  northern  portion!  of  South  America. 

A  beautiful  Hawk,  known  as  the  Mexican  or  Anthracite  Buzzard, 
and  found  throughout  tropical  America,  and  north  to  Southern  Arizona. 
The  general  color  of  the  adult  bird  is  coal-black  ;  tail-coverts  narrowly 
tipped  with  white  ;  tail  black,  the  tip  and  base  white,  and  crossed  at 
about  the  middle  by  a  broad  band  of  white. 

Dr.  Edgar  A.  Mearns  met  with  this  Hawk  in  the  valley  of  the  Rio 
Verde  River,  Arizona,  in  1884-5.  The  birds  were  present  throughout 
the  summer  months,  but  departed  in  autumn ;  they  were  extremely 
shy  and  were  usually  found  hidden  in  the  dense  foliage  of  cottonwoods 
near  water,  in  some  low  situation.  Their  flight  he  describes  as  swift 
and  powerful.  Occasionally  one  was  seen  eating  a  fish  upon  the  sandy 
margin  of  the  river.  Their  loudly  whistled  cry  was  rendered  with 
great  power,  and  different  from  that  of  any  bird  of  prey  with  which  he 
was  acquainted. 

A  nest  was  found  built  in  a  cottonwood  tree  June  19.  This  had 
evidently  been  the  birthplace  of  many  generations  of  these  Hawks, 
for  it  measured  four  feet  in  depth  by  two  feet  in  width.  It  was  lined 
with  a  layer  of  cottonwood  leaves,  several  inches  deep,  was  very  slightly 
concave,  and  composed  of  large  sticks,  much  decayed  below,  showing 
that  they  had  been  in  position  for  a  number  of  years.  The  nest  was 
about  thirty  feet  from  the  ground  and  contained  a  half-grown  nestling. 
Upon  approaching  the  nest  the  Hawk  exhibited  much  uneasiness  and 
screamed  lustily.*  The  eggs,  two  or  three  in  number,  are  described  as 
plain  white,  average  size  2.10x1.75. 

348.    Asturina  plagiata    Schlegel.     [445-] 

Mezloan  Ooshairk. 

Hab.    Southern  border  of  the  United  States,  southward  to  Panama;  accidental  in  Southern  Illinois. 

Captain  Charles  E.  Bendire  states  that  this,  one  of  the  handsomest 
of  our  Raptores^  is  not  an  uncommon  summer  resident  of  the  southern 
portions  of  Arizona.  The  bird's  peculiar  call-notes  he  describes  as  re- 
sembling the  piping  of  the  Long-billed  Curlew ;  their  flight  exceed- 
ingly graceful  and  swift,  resembling  in  many  respects  that  of  the 
American  Goshawk.  They  seem  to  prefer  more  open  country  than 
the  latter  species.  In  the  timber  bordering  Rillitto  creek,  near  Tucson, 
Captain  Bendire  found  this  Hawk  breeding  in  1872 ;  on  the  dates  May 
17,  June  6  and  19,  and  June  20,  nests  were  found  containing  two  and 
three  eggs  each.  The  nests  were  placed  in  cottonwood  trees,  fifty  and 
seventy-five  feet  from  the  ground ;  one  found  May  17,  located  in  the 

•Auk,  III,  pp.  69-73. 


180 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


topmost  branches  of  a  cottonwood  was  not  a  very  substantial  structure ; 
a  shallow  platform  composed  principally  of  small  cottonwood  twigs,  a 
number  of  them  broken  off  green  by  the  birds  themselves.  The  birds 
were  seen,  while  flying,  to  grasp  at  a  suitable  twig  with  the  talons, 
usually  succeeding  in  breaking  it  off  at  the  first  trial.  The  nest  was 
lined  with  dry  cottonwood  leaves  and  the  tops  of  tne  willows,  the  latter 
taken  while  yet  green. 

Captain  Bendire  describes  the  eggs  as  white  or  pale  bluish-white, 
unspotted,  but  always  more  or  less  stained  with  yellowish  matter  hard 
to  clean  off;  size  2.00  x  1.60.'"^  A  set  of  two  eggs,  taken  in  Arizona, 
May  23,  1884,  by  Mr.  F.  Stephens,  is  in  the  collection  of  Captain  B.  F. 
Goss.  The  nest  from  which  these  were  taken  was  in  a  cottonwood 
tree,  seventy-five  feet  from  the  ground ;  it  was  made  of  cottonwood 
and  willow  twigs,  mostly  green,  lined  with  small  twigs  and  green 
leaves.  The  eggs  are  white,  with  a  few  indistinct  bufFy-brown  spots, 
sizes  1.90XI.54,  1.96x1.58.  -   .^ 

[347.]    ArcMbuteo  lagopus.     (Brunn.).         ,         ' 

Rough-legged  Hawk. 

Hab.     Northern  portions  of  the  old  worM;  Alaska. 

The  European  Rough-legged  Buzzard  very  much  resembles  our 
American  bird,  sancti-johannis.  In  Europe  it  is  said  to  be  sparingly  dis- 
tributed over  the  northern  parts,  appearing  occasionally  in  Northern 
Britain,  and  with  regularity  in  the  more  southern  portions.  It  is  known 
to  breed  in  the  rugged  mountain  regions  of  Switzerland  and  varioiis 
parts  of  France  and  Italy,  placing  the  bulky  nest  of  sticks  in  lofty 
trees  or  on  precipitous  rocks.  The  eggs,  two  to  four  in  number,  vary 
from  dirty-white  tc,  grayish  or  cream-color,  usually  marked  with  num- 
erous spots  and  b  otches  of  umber  cud  sepia-brown,  and  sometimes 
entirely  unmarked ;  average  size  2.20x1.80. 

347«.    Archibuteo  lagopus  sancti-johannis    (Gmel.).    [447-] 

Amerioan  Rough-legged  Haw^k. 

H-b.  Whole  of  North  America,  north  of  Mexican  boundary  breeding  chiefly  north  of  the  United 
States. 

The  plumage  of  the  *'  Black  Hawk,"  as  it  is  called,  is  subject  to 
great  variations.  In  general,  the  whole  plumage  is  dark  brown  or 
blackish  and  light  brown,  gray  or  whitish.  From  these  van-^gated 
sta^^es  the  bird  varies  to  more  or  less  uniform  blackish ;  but  in  either 
plumage  it  is  easily  recognized  by  the  feathered  shank.  The  Rough- 
legged  Buzzard  frequents  swamps,  marshes  and  the  vicinity  of  lakes 
and  rivers.  It  appears  to  be  more  numerous  near  the  coast  than  in  the 
interior  east  of  the  Mississippi.    It  is  less  active  than  most  Hawks, 

♦Ornithologist  and  Oologist,  Vol.  VI,  pp.  87-88. 


NORTH  AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


181 


and  approaches  the  Owls  in  the  habit  of  hunting  by  twilight.     Its  food 
consists  chiefly  of  mice  and  frogs. 

The  nest  of  this  species  is  placed  on  large  trees,  frequently  on 
ledges  of  rocks ;  it  is  a  bulky  structure,  composed  of  sticks,  grasses, 
weeds  and  various  other  materials  which  are  soft  and  easily  matted 
together.  The  eggs  are  two  or  three  in  number ;  they  are  ";vhite  or 
buffy,  sprinkled,  spotted  or  blotched  with  brown ;  the  average  size  given 
is  2.27x1.76.  Mr,  Norris  has  a  set  of  two  eggs  taken  June  9,  1864,  on 
the  Anderson  River,  in  Arctic  America,  by  R.  R.  MacFarlane.  These 
are  of  an  ivory  white,  spotted,  splashed  and  blotched  with  cinnamon ; 
they  measure,  2.20x1.76,  2.22x1.81. 


'•i  ■ 


ect  to 
iwn  or 
-^gated 

either 
lough- 
lakes 

in  the 

[awks, 


348.    Archibuteo  ferrugineus.    (Light.).    [448.] 

Ferruginous  Rough-leg. 

Hab.  Western  United  States,  across  the  great  plains,  north  to  the  S^'skatchewan  region;  south  to 
Mexico.     Occasionally  to  Illinois. 

Known  as  the  Ferruginous  Rough-legged  Buzzard  or  California 
Squirrel  Hawk.  A  common  species  on  the  plains  of  the  West,  and  one 
of  the  largest  and  handsomest  of  our  American  Hawks, 

In  some  localities  this  species  builds  its  large  and  bulky  nests  on 
trees,  ranging  from  ten  to  fifty  feet  from  the  ground  ;  it  is  composed  of 
large  sticks  and  lined  with  leaves,  tufts  of  grass  and  roots,  Mr,  F,  M. 
Dille,  of  Greeley,  Colorado,  stat'^s  the  birds  are  not  shy,  and  made  no 
demonstration  when  he  approached  the  nest.  He  describes  a  nest  as 
measuring  three  feet  in  diameter  and  two  in  depth.  The  eggs  are  two 
or  three,  rarely  four,  in  number, 

Capt,  B,  F,  Goss  informs  me  that  he  found  this  Hawk  in  Northern 
Dakota  nesting  on  the  ground,  on  rocky,  precipitous  hillsides ;  this,  too, 
being  the  case  seemingly  from  choice,  for  heavy  timber  was  only  a  few 
miles  away,  and  patches  of  brush  and  low  trees  were  often  in  the  im- 
mediate vicinity  of  the  nest.  May  4,  1884,  Capt.  Goss  found  a  nest  at 
the  foot  of  a  rock,  on  a  steep  bluff;  it  was  composed  of  sticks,  buffalo 
ribs,  weed  stalks  and  small  pieces  of  turf,  lined  with  dry  grass.  Four 
eggs,  vaiy  greatly  in  color,  from  finely  spotted  to  heavily  splashed 
with  different  shades  of  brown;  sizes,  2,44  x  1.96,  2.55x1.96,  2.45x2.00, 
2.40  X  1,92.  Mr,  Dille  states  that  the  usual  date  for  depositing  the  eggs 
on  the  plains  of  Colorado  is  about  May  20,  but  he  has  taken  fresh 
eggs  as  early  as  April  20,  A  set  of  two  in  Mr.  Norris'  collection, 
taken  in  Comal  county,  Texas,  March  30,  1873,  ^^^  spotted,  splashed 
with  brown  and  burnt  umber.     They  measure  2,33x1.88,  2.34x1.86. 


182  NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 

349.    Aquila  chrysaetos.    (Linn.).    [449.] 

Golden  Bagle. 

Hab,     Northern  portions  of  the  northern  hemisphere,  chiefly  in  mountainous  regions. 

The  Golden  Eagle  inhabits  North  America  at  large,  and  also  the 
northern  parts  of  the  Old  World.  It  may  be  recognized  by  the  tarsus 
being  wholly  feathered  to  the  toes  ;  the  general  color  of  its  plumage  is 
dark-brown  throughout,  and  the  tone  of  the  color,  in  certain  lights,  is  of 
a  golden-brown.  It  is  known  to  breed  in  mountainous  portions  of  North- 
ern New  England  and  New  York.  In  the  Anderson  River  region  Mr. 
MacFarlane  found  the  Golden  Eagle  nesting  as  early  as  the  last  of  April, 
and  eggs  containing  large  embryos  were  taken  May  27.  The  bird  is 
quite  common  in  the  mountainous  regions  of  California.  The  nests 
are  built  usually  on  inaccessible  rocks,  and  sometimes  in  trees,  and  two 
or  three  eggs  are  laid,  generally  two.  Throughout  California  the 
Golden  Eagle  seems  to  nest  in  trees  by  preference.  Mr.  Samuel  C. 
Evans  found  it  breeding  in  March,  in  the  wild,  rugged  mountains  of, 
Santa  Clara  county,  in  the  vicinity  of  Mt.  Day ;  the  nests  were  placed 
in  sycamores,  pines  and  oaks — one  in  a  large  pine  tree  which  overhung 
a  deep  and  rocky  canon.  Mr.  Norris  has  a  set  of  two  eggs  which  was 
taken  February  26,  1886,  near  Tres  Pinos,  California,  from  a  nest 
built  in  a  solitary  live  oak  standing  in  a  wheat  field,  on  the  side 
of  a  gulch.  This  nest  was  very  large,  nearly  four  feet  in  depth 
and  five  feet  in  diameter ;  it  was  composed  of  sticks  and  lined  with 
straw  stubble,  green  grass  and  twigs  in  leaf.  TJie  eggs  are  whitish, 
heavily  blotched  with  chestnut,  and  pale  lavender  under-shell  markings ; 
sizes,  2.86x2.21,  2.89x2.29.  Mr.  J.  R.  Chalker,  in  the  seasons  of 
1886-7-8,  collected  ten  sets  of  the  eggs  of  this  bird  in  San  Benito 
county,  California,  nearly  all  of  which  were  taken  from  nests  placed  in 
trees.  The  first  set  was  found  February  26,  and  the  others  at  various 
dates  in  the  month  of  March,  Two  eggs  was  the  usual  number  laid, 
and  one  set  of  three  was  taken.  A  nest  in  a  lofty  red-wood  tree,  ninety- 
four  feet  from  the  ground,  is  described  as  being  made  of  large  sticks, 
lined  with  red-wood  twigs  and  straw-stubble.  Nests  were  also  found 
placed  on  almost  inaccessible  cliffs.  The  eggs  in  colors  varied  from 
white,  unmarked,  to  faintly  and  heavily  marked  specimens.  One  set 
was  found  which  was  densely  blotched  with  reddish-brown  all  over. 
Mr.  Norris  has  another  set  of  two  eggs  taken  in  San  Benito  county, 
California,  which  is  dull  white,  thickly  spotted  and  sprinkled  with 
chestnut  red  and  under-shell  markings  of  pale  lavender;  sizes,  3.05 x 
2.17,  3.01x2.14. 


NORTH  AMERICAN   BIRDS.  183 

[351.]    Haliseetus  albicilla    (Linn.)    [452.] 

Gray  Sea  Eagle* 

Hab.     Northern  portions  of  Europe  and  Asia;  Greenland. 

A  large  dusky-brown  species  known  as  the  White-tailed  or  Gray 
Sea  Eagle.  Included  in  our  North  American  fauna  upon  its  occurrence 
in  Southeastern  Greenland.  It  is  common  to  the  sea  coasts  of  Europe 
and  is  rarely  found  inland.  Breeds  on  the  coasts  of  Great  Britain  ;  its 
most  favorite  haunts  being  the  shores  and  islands  of  the  northern  and 
western  coasts  of  Scotland  ;  the  Hebrides,  Orkney  and  Shetland  Islands, 
where  it  nests  on  the  rocky  cliffs  projecting  over  water.  The  nests  are 
made  of  sticks  or  seaweed.  Trees  are  also  resorted  to,  though  much 
less  frequently.  This  Eagle  also  breeds  on  the  coasts  of  Denmark, 
Norway  and  Sweden,  and  those  of  Russia. 

The  eggs  are  two  or  three  in  number,  plain  white,  but  occasion- 
ally with  small  faint  spots  of  light  brown.  A  set  of  two  eggs  is  in  Mr. 
Norris'  collection,  taken  in  Sweden,  May  17,  1885.  They  are  of  a  dull 
white,  nest  stained,  and  measure  2.89x2.21,  2.73x2.20.  _       , 

352.    Haliaeetus  leucocephalus    (Linn.)    [-151.] 

Bald  Eagle. 

Hab.     Whole  of  North  America,  sonih  to  Mexico. 

This  great  bird  is  common  everywhere  in  North  America.  It 
passes  through  three  stages  of  plumage  ;  the  first  year  the  young  are 
very  dark-colored  and  are  erroneously  called  "  Black  Eagles,"  the  second 
they  are  "  Gray  Eagles,"  and  are  usually  larger  than  the  old  birds. 
The  residence  of  the  White-headed  Eagle  is  greatly  influenced  by  the 
abundance  of  food,  especially  that  of  fish.  It  is  found  as  far  north  as 
the  Arctic  Circle,  and  south  as  far  as  Florida  and  Texas.  Breeds  in 
the  interior  Arctic  regions  on  the  borders  of  lakes  and  rivers.  Not  an 
uncommon  summer  resident  in  Labrador,  and  breeds  from  thence 
southward  along  the  Atlantic  coast  to  Florida.  Common  resident  of 
Oregon  and  Washington  Territory.  It  is  particularly  common  along 
the  Columbia  River,  where  the  supply  of  fish  is  abundant.  The 
eggs  are  deposited  from  December  to  April,  according  to  locality. 
The  Bald  Eagle  is  not  the  sluggish,  fish-eating  bird  that  some 
writers  state  it  to  be,  devoid  of  energy,  obtaining  its  living  by 
robbing  the  industrious  Osprey.  It  has  been  known  to  swoop 
down  upon  flocks  of  Geese,  Brant,  Duck  and  Coot,  select  a  par- 
ticular bird,  when  the  flocks  scattered,  and  successfully  carry  oflf 
its  victim  to  the  nearest  sand-bar.  If  it  is  a  goose,  and  too  heavy, 
both  birds  fall  into  the  water,  when  the  Eagle  literally  tows  the  prize 
along  the  surface  until  the  shore  is  reached.*     This  bird  also  captures 

*Wm.  Brewster;    Bull.  Nutt.  Club,  Vol.  V,  pp.  57-58. 


if''* 
M 

III' 


iji 


184 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


wounded  ducks  and  other  birds,  and  feeds  on  putrid  fish  and  flesh. 
Florida  seems  to  be  a  favorite  breeding  ground  of  the  Bald  Eagle, 
where  they  nest  usually  in  January,  but  in  the  extreme  southern  por- 
tions— Cape  Sable  and  the  Keys  in  that  region — iney  breed  in  Decem- 
ber. The  nests  are  massive  structures,  made  of  sticks,  lined  with  roots 
or  grass ;  they  are  placed  in  trees,  and  their  distance  from  the  ground 
ranges  from  twenty  to  ninety  feet.  On  rocky  coasts,  destitute  of  suit- 
able trees,  this  Eagle  resorts  to  the  cliff  for  nesting  places,  and  the  same 
eyrie  is  occupied  for  many  years.  The  eggs  are  two,  rarely  three  in  num- 
ber, and  are  white,  or  ivory-white,  unmarked,  usually  with  a  granu- 
lated surface  and  nest-stained.  Three  sets  of  two  eggs  each  are  in  Mr. 
Norris'  collection ;  one  from  Merritt's  Island,  Florida,  taken  Decem- 
ber 13, 1883,  mea'^ure  2.79X  2.21,  2.74  x  2.09 ;  another  from  Stone  Island, 
Maine,  collected  April  21,  1887,  measure  2.88x2.15,  2.94x2.13;  the 
third  from  Tampa,  Florida,  taken  December  3,  1884,  give  the  follow- 
ing dimensions:  2.70 x  2.12.  2.70x2.10.  Four  sets  in  my  cabinet,  col- 
lected by  Mr.  R.  C.  Stuart  at  Cape  Sable,  December  i,  4  and  16,  ex- 
hibit the  following  sizes  by  sets:  First,  2.57x2.12,  2.98x2.22; 
second,  2.89x2.15,  2.91x2.17;  third,  2.73x2.09,  2.63x2.02;  fourth, 
2.51  x  1.94,  2.51  x  2.00.  These  eggs  were  taken  from  huge  nests,  placed 
in  mangrove  trees,  twenty  to  thirty-five  feet  from  the  ground. 

353.    Falco  islandus    Brunn.    [412.]  " 

White  Gyrfaloou. 

Hab.     Arctic  regions,  including  Arctic  America  .ind  Greenland. 

The  Gyrfalcons  are  large  handsome  birds  and  are  found  in  various 
phases  of  plumage,  being  white,  more  or  less  barred  and  spotted  with 
brownish  and  black.  They  are  birds  of  boreal  regions,  and  nest  in 
trees  or  cliffs,  preying  upon  the  smaller  quadrupeds,  grouse,  ducks, 
auks,  etc.  The  adult  of  the  present  species  averages  as  white  as  the 
Snowy  Owl.  It  is  called  Greenland  Gyrfalcon  and  breeds  in  Green- 
land and  other  portions  of  Arctic  America. 

Dr.  Stejneger  states  that  this  species  breeds  on  Bering  Island.  A 
pair  had  their  nest  in  a  steep  and  inaccessible  rock,  a  couple  of  miles 
from  the  main  village. 

Mr.  Norris  has  a  set  of  three  eggs  collected  in  Southern  Green- 
land, by  G.  N.  Proctor,  May  26,  1884;  the  eggs  were  taken  from 
a  nest  on  a  ledge  of  rocks.  They  measure,  respectively,  2.14x1.81, 
2.19x1.80,  2.17x1.81.  The  ground  color  is  creamy-white,  with  the 
markings  "  •^eddish-brown  distributed  over  the  surface ;  in  one  speci- 
men th(  .  _KS  and  spots  form  an  indistinct  circle  near  the  large  end. 
The  eggs  are  said  to  be  two  to  four  in  number. 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


185 


354.    Palco  rusticolus    Linn    [412a.] 

Gray  Oyrfaloon. 

Hab.  Extreme  northern  portions  of  Euiopc,  Asia  and  North  America;  Iceland,  Southern  Green- 
land; south  in  winter  to  the  northern  border  ol  the  United  States. 

The  Gray  Gyrfalcon  is  not  uncommon  in  Iceland  and  Southern 
Greenland,  and  strays  in  winter  into  northeastern  United  States.  Mr. 
Norris  has  a  set  of  two  eggs  of  this  bird,  collected  by  Mr.  Proctor  in 
Southern  Greenland,  on  the  30th  of  May,  1884.  Incubation  was  just 
begun,  and  the  parent  bird  was  shot.  The  nest  was  placed  on  a  shelv- 
ing rock.  One  of  the  eggs  is  marked,  over  a  whitish  ground,  with 
small  light  reddish-brown  spots  sparingly  sprinkled  over  the  surface, 
confluent  at  the  small  end,  where  they  almost  obscure  the  ground  color. 
The  rest  of  the  egg  has  a  whitish  appearance.  The  other  specimen  is 
heavily  marked  over  the  entire  surface.     Sizes,  2.26x1.82,   2.25x1.86. 

354a.    Falco  rusticolus  gyrfalco.    (Linn.).     [412/J.] 

Oyrfaloon. 

Hab.     Northern  Europe;  interior  of  Arctic  Americ.-*,  from  Hudson's  Bay  to  Alaska. 

MacFarlane's  Gyrfalcon  breeds  abundantly  in  the  interior  regions 
of  Arctic  America,  where  numerous  skins  and  eggs  are  annually  taken. 
It  not  infrequently  visits  the  Northern  United  States  in  winter,  and  it 
is  recorded  as  even  reaching  the  Middle  States.  A  set  of  two  eggs, 
taken  in  the  vicinity  of  Great  Slave  Lake,  is  in  Mr.  Norris'  collection. 
These  were  taken  with  the  parent  bird,  by  M.  D.  Smith,  June  4,  1884. 
The  nest  was  placed  on  a  shelf  of  a  cliff.  The  ground-color  of  the 
eggs  is  of  a  light  brownish-red,  very  faintly  speckled  in  a  few  places 
with  a  dark  color  of  umber-brown  and  red.  The  surface  is  much  gran- 
ulated.    They  measure  2.18  x  1.70,  2.21  x  1.73. 

A  single  egg  in  the  cabinet  of  Capt.  B.  F.  Goss,  taken  at  Fort 
Yukon,  Arctic  America,  in  June,  1865,  is  finely  and  evenly  speckled 
with  reddish-brown  over  the  entire  shell ;  the  spots  are  partly  confluent, 
giving  the  egg  a  reddish  appearance;  size  2.34x1.75,  which  is  un- 
usually large. 

354(J.    Falco  rusticolus  obsoletus    (Gmel.)    [412^] 

Black  Oyrfaloon. 

Hah.     Labrador;  south  in  winter  to  Canada,  Maine  and  New  York. 

This  dusky  form  of  the  Gyrfalcon  makes  its  home  on  the  cliffs  of 
the  rugged  coasts  of  L/abrador.  Its  habits  are  said  to  be  the  same  as 
those  of  any  of  the  foregoing  belonging  to  the  genus,  and  the  eggs  are 
similar.  All  the  eggs  of  the  several  forms  of  Gyrfalcons  present  com- 
mon characteristics,  and  do  not  differ  from  each  other  more  than  eggs 
known  to  belong  to  the  same  species  of  hawk  are  found  to  vary.  The 
average  size  of  the  Black  Gyrfalcon's  eggs  is  2.26x1.77. 


•  I 


ill 


' 


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186 


NESTS  AND   EGGS   OP 

355.    Falco  mexicanus    Schleg. 

Prairie  Falo«n. 


[413.] 


Hab.  Western  United  States,  from  the  Eastern  border  Jof  the  Plaint  to  the  Pacific  Ocean.  South 
into  Mexico.    Casual  to  Illinois. 

The  American  Lanner  or  Prairie  Falcon  is  an  abundant  species 
throughout  the  open  country  of  Western  United  States.  It  is  the  rep- 
resentative of  the  two  Lanners  of  the  Old  World.  This  Falcon  is 
said  to  possess  great  strength  and  daring ;  it  attacks  and  overpowers 
the  great  hares  of  the  prairies,  and  other  animals  even  larger  and 
heavier  than  itself.  It  is  very  common  in  Wyoming  and  Washington 
Territories,  Oregon  and  California. 

The  Prairie  Falcon  nests  usually  on  cliffs  and  ledges  of  rocks, 
sometimes  in  cavities  in  trees.  The  composition  of  the  nests  is  sticks 
with  a  lining  of  grasses.  In  some  of  the  rocky  canons  of  Colorado 
nests  of  this  haw':  have  been  found  on  the  tops  of  those  massive 
sandstone  columns  that  stand  solitary  and  alone  like  ''uge  chimneys. 

The  eggs  are  two  to  five  in  number.  Three  sets  of  the  eggs 
of  this  species  are  in  the  cabinet  of  J.  Parker  Norris.  One 
of  five  eggs,  collected  by  Walter  E.  Bryant,  near  Mt.  Dia- 
blo, California,  exhibit  the  following  dimensions  :  2.00  x  1.56,  1.99 
X1.56,  1.98x1.59,  2.11X1.57,  1.93x1.56.  These  were  laid  upon  the 
sand  in  a  cavity  in  a  large  boulder.  They  are  handsome  eggs,  creamy 
ground  color,  almost  wholly  obscured  with  specks,  spots  and  cloudings 
of  cinnamon  and  vinaceous-cinnamon.  The  second  set  is  of  two  eggs 
taken  in  Sweetwater  county,  Wyoming,  May  i,  1887  ;  the  nest  was  on  a 
rocky  mound,  along  the  Big  Sandy  River.  The  eggs  are  quite  different 
from  each  other  in  appearance ;  in  one  the  ground  color  is  cinnamon, 
sprinkled  all  over  with  Mars  brown;  size,  2.13x1.66.  The  other  has 
a  ground  color  of  russet,  sprinkled  all  over  with  burnt  umber ;  size, 
2.14  X  1.68.  The  third  set  consists  of  three  eggs.  They  were  collected 
May  6,  1888,  in  Sweetwater  county,  Wyoming,  The  nest  was  on  a 
rock  on  the  bank  of  the  Big  Sandy  River.  The  ground  color  varies 
from  a  deep  cream  to  a  hazel,  and  it  is  almost  wholly  obscured  with 
cinnamon,  rufous  and  light  chestnut.  They  measure  2.28x1.68;  2.10 
X  1.64  ;  2.20X  1.67. 

356.    Falco  peregrinus  anatum    (Bonap.)    [414.] 

DuoIe  Haivk. 

Hab.    Whole  of  North  America. 

The  Peregrine  Falcon,  Great-footed  Hawk,  or  Wandering  Falcon, 
as  this  species  is  variously  called,  is  distributed  throughout  North 
America  at  large,  but  it  can  hardly  be  considered  common  anywhere. 
The  Duck  Hawk  breeds  as  far  south  as  latitude  36°,  and  usually  in 


I 


NORTH  AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


187 


mountainous  regions,  or  in  the  vicinity  where  water  fov/1  are  abundant. 
The  nests  are  placed  in  natural  cavities  in  trees,  and  on  the  sides  of 
rocky  cliffs. 

Col.  N.  S.  Goss  states  that  this  Hawk  is  not  an  uncommon  resident 
of  Kansas,  and  that  it  begins  laying  early  in  March.  It  is  known  to 
breed  in  many  of  the  rocky  regions  and  along  the  coasts  of  the  New 
England  States ;  in  Pennsylvania,  New  York  and  in  Michigan.  It  has 
been  found  nesting  in  the  Anderson  River  regions  in  Arctic  America, 
in  Alaska,  and  on  the  coast  of  Labrador. 

This  species  is  often  called  Bullet  Hawk,  being  the  terror  of 
ducks  and  other  water  fowl,  pursuing  and  striking  them  down  while 
on  the  wing,  often  seizing  the  bird  which  the  hunter  has  killed,  carry- 
ing it  off  when  almost  within  his  reach. 

The  eggs  of  the  Duck  Hawk  are  three  or  four  in  number,  and 
measure  2.15  X  1.62.  They  vary  from  creamy-white  to  reddish-brown, 
spotted,  blotched  and  dotted  with  reddish-brown  and  chocolate  of  vary- 
ing shades.  Mr.  Norris  has  a  set  of  three  eggs,  taken  April  14,  1876, 
at  Michigumni,  Mich.  The  nest  was  placed  on  a  ledge  of  rock,  on  the 
face  of  a  bluff;  it  was  composed  of  a  few  twigs,  some  grass  and  a  few 
feathers.  The  eggs  are  dull  white,  almost  wholly  obscured  by  innu- 
merable specks  and  spots  of  vinaceous-cinuamon ;  sizes,  2.09x1.75, 
2.06x1.70,  2.05x1.64. 

356a.    Falco  peregrinus  pealei    Ridgw.    [414a.] 

Peale'a  Falcon. 

Hab.     Aleutian  and  Commander  Islands,  south  along  the  Pacific  Coast  to  Oregon. 

Dr.  Leonard  Stejneger  states  that  the  "  Black  Hawk,"  as  it  is 
called,  is  a  common  resident  of  Copper  and  Bering  Islanus,  breeding 
in  high  and  inaccessible  cliffs.  The  eggs  are  not  described,  but  are 
doubtless  similar  to  those  of  F.  peregrinus. 

357.    Falco  columbarius    Linn.    [417.] 

Pigeon  Hawk. 

Hab.     North  America  in  general,  south  in  winter  to  West  Indies  and  northern  South  America. 

A  handsome  little  Falcon,  generally  distributed  throughout  North 
America,  and  known  to  breed  in  various  sections  from  latitude  40°  north- 
ward, but  the  majority  breed  north  of  the  United  States.  It  subsists 
mostly  on  smaller  birds,  together  with  an  occasional  mouse  or  small 
squirrel,  capturing  them  on  the  wing.  Wlien  in  pursuit  of  its  prey 
the  speed  of  its  flight  is  something  astonishing.  Known  to  breed  as 
far  north  as  the  Anderson  and  McKenzie  River  regions  in  Arctic 
America,  and  it  is  common  in  Alaska.  During  the  breeding  season  it 
is  found  as  far  south  as  New  Brunswick  and  Nova  Scotia,  in  various 


I 


I 


i 


I 

I 


188 


NESTS  AND   EGGS  OF 


I 


New  England  States,  New  York,  Delaware,  etc.  It  formerly  bred  in 
Ohi6,  but  not  of  recent  date.  In  the  West  it  has  been  found  breeding 
in  Washington  Territory,  Oregon,  Idaho  and  Utah. 

Mr.  Norris'  cabinet  contains  two  sets  of  four  eggs  each ;  one  collect- 
ed in  the  Wasatch  Mountains,  Utah,  May  29,  1868.  They  have  a  cin- 
namon ground  color,  heavily  spotted  and  blotched  with  burnt  umber ; 
sizes,  1.56 X  1.25,  1.59x1.25,1.56x1.21,  1.59x1.23.  Another  set  from 
Bingham  county,  Idaho,  taken  May  13,  1885,  have  a  creamy-white 
ground  color,  sprinkled,  spotted  and  blotched  with  chestnut ;  sizes, 
1.44X  1.22,  1.56X  1.24,  1.52X  1.25,  1.47X  1.22. 

The  nests  of  this  Hawk  are  variously  situated ;  in  the  cavity  of  a 
cliff,  in  the  hollow  of  a  tree,  on  the  branches  of  trees,  and  somtimes 
under  the  roofs  or  between  the  rafters  of  ruined  or  deserted  buildings. 

358.    Falco  rlchardsonii    Ridgw.     [418.] 

Richardson's  Merlin. 

Hab.  Interior  of  North  America,  northward  to  the  Arctic  regions,  south  in  winter  to  Texas  and  Ari- 
zona; straggles  west  to  the  Pacific  coast. 

Richardson's  Merlin  is  said  to  breed  in  the  Rocky  Mountains  of 
Colorado,  and  from  thence  northward.  Its  habits  in  general  are  iden- 
tical with  those  of  F.  colmnbarns.  Professor  Ridgway  describes  a 
single  specimen  of  the  egg  of  this  bird  as  "  buffy- white,  handsomely 
marbled  and  irregularly  spotted  with  madder-brown ;"  size,  1.52x1.22.* 

359.  Falco  fusco-coerulescens    Vieill.    [419] 

Aplomado  Falcon. 

Hab.     Southern  Texas,  New  Mexico  and  Arizona,  south  to  Patagonia. 

This  beautiful  bird,  known  as  the  Femoral  Falcon,  is  common, 
and  has  a  wide  range  in  South  and  Central  America ;  and  specimens 
of  the  bird,  its  nests  and  eggs  have  been  taken  in  Southern  Texas, 
along  the  banks  of  the  Rio  Grande,  and  in  Arizona.  Dr.  James  C. 
Merrill  found  nests  of  this  species  on  June  16,  1877,  ^"^^  ^^M  7)  '^^l^i 
near  Fort  Brown, Texas ;  they  were  placed  on  the  tops  of  the  low  Span- 
ish bayonet,  and  were  simply  slight  platforms  of  twigs  with  depres- 
sions, lined  with  a  little  grass.     Two  nests  contained  three  eggs  each. 

The  eggs  measure  1.78x1.34,1.84x1.29,  1.73x1.32.  Their  ground 
color  is  white,  but  so  thickly  dotted  with  reddish  as  to  appear  of  that 
color ;  over  these  are  somewhat  heavier  markings  of  deeper  shades  of 
brown.     The  three  others  measure  1.80  x  1.29, 1.77  x  1.33,  1.88  x  1.33. 

360.  Falco  sparverius    Linn.     [420,  420a.] 

American  Sparroiir  Hanp^k. 

Hab.     North  America  in  general.  South  to  Northern  South  America. 

This  beautiful  little   Hawk  is  abundant  evervwhere  in  North 


■^  Manual  of  North  American  Birds;  p.  251. 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


189 


North 


America,  and  is  familiar  to  every  boy  who  has  been  in  the  fields.  Here 
it  may  be  seen  hovering  almost  motionless  in  mid  air,  then  snddenly 
swooping  down  to  the  ground,  arises  again  with  perhaps  a  field-mouse 
in  its  talons.  From  this  habit  it  receives  the  name  of  Mouse  Hawk, 
although  it  also  preys  upon  sparrows  and  other  small  birds.  It  is 
found  almost  everywhere,  though  most  abundant  along  streams  where 
the  high  sycamores  whose  natural  cavities  furnish  suitable  nesting 
places,  but  meadows  and  fields  are  its  retreats  when  in  search  of  food. 
It  builds  no  nest,  but  deposits  its  eggs  in  the  natural  cavities  of  high 
trees,  often  in  the  deserted  holes  of  woodpeckers,  or  in  crevices  in 
rocks  or  nooks  about  buildings.  In  the  West  it  frequently  occupies  a 
deserted  Magpie's  nest.  I  have  eggs  of  this  Hawk  taken  from  a  crev- 
ice in  a  stone  quarry  on  the  Scioto  River,  where  the  birds  have  nested  for 
years.  Boxes  on  farm  barns,  provided  for  domestic  pigeons,  are  often 
appropriated  by  the  Sparrow  Hawk,  and  it  always  proves  to  be  a  peace- 
able neighbor.  The  cavities  where  the  eggs  are  deposited  generally 
contain  no  lining.  Dr.  Merrill  examined  a  number  of  nests  in  Mon- 
tana, and  the  eggs  were  deposited  in  many  cases  on  a  slight  bed 
of  leaves  or  grasses  or  a  few  chips. 

The  eggs  of  the  Sparrow  Hawk  are  four  or  five,  rarely  six  in  num- 
ber. A  series  of  forty  eggs  before  me  exhibit  the  usual  wide  diversity 
of  coloration  that  is  to  be  found  in  eggs  with  spotted  shells.  Most  of 
my  eggs  are  from  Ohio,  Indiana  and  Kentucky,  while  two  sets  are 
from  California.  The  ground  color  varies  from  a  yellowish  or  creamy- 
white  to  reddish  or  pinkish-buff;  the  surface  is  sprinkled,  splashed, 
blotched,  spotted  and  clouded  with  shades  of  chestnut  and  cinnamon 
brown,  and  the  markings  may  be  more  numerous  and  heavier  at  either 
end,  and  they  may  be  so  confluent  as  to  conceal  the  ground  color. 
Eight  eggs  collected  near  Banning,  Cal.,  April  lo,  1884,  measure 
1.28x1.05,  1. 30x1.09,  1.30XI.07,  1.32x1.09,  1.36x1.07,  1.35x1.07; 
1.36x1.11,  1.38x1.15.  The  largest  eggs  I  have  are  from  Ohio,  taken 
by  Robert  Linton,  April  20,  four  in  number.  Sizes,  1.37x1.15, 
1.40x1. 13,  1.38x1.12,  1.44x1,16.  The  average  size  of  the  Sparrow 
Hawk's  eggs  is  1.36x1.12.  They  are  usually  deposited  in  April  or 
in  the  first  half  of  May. 

362.    Polyborus  cheriway    (Jacq.)    [423] 

Anduboii's  Caraoarat 

Hab.  Northern  South  America  (Ecuador  and  Guiana)  north  to  the  Southern  border  of  the  United 
States,  Florida,  Texas  and  Arizona. 

Common  to  the  Southern  border  of  the  United  States,  and  known 
as  the  Mexican  Eagle  or  Buzzard — intermediate  between  the  Eagles 


190 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


i 


and  Buzzards,  and  resembling  both  in  its  habits.  It  catches  some  of 
its  prey  living,  but  feeds  readily  upon  dead  animals.  Although  slug- 
gish at  times,  it  is  said  to  fly  well,  moving  in  a  direct  line,  resembling 
the  Black  Vulture  somewhat,  flapping  and  sailing  alternately,  but 
when  high  in  air,  circles  like  a  Hawk  or  Eagle. 

Dr.  Merrill  records  this  bird  as  a  common  resident,  but  more 
abundant  in  winter  than  summer  in  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Brown,  Texas, 
and  Mr.  George  B.  Senuett  also  mentions  it  as  not  uncommon  in  the 
region  of  Brownsville.  It  has  been  found  breeding  as  far  north  as 
Comal,  Hays  and  Lee  counties,  Texas,  in  the  months  of  March  and 
April,  and  in  Jefferson  county  as  late  as  March  30.  Mr.  Stuart  in- 
forms me  that  he  has  always  met  with  this  bird  breeding  on  the  large 
prairies  of  Southern  Florida  in  March  and  April.  Eggs  were  taken 
April  4.  The  tops  of  the  cabbage  palmetto  trees  are  their  favorite 
nesting  places  in  that  region.  The  nests  in  Texas  and  Mexico  are 
built  in  trees  or  bushes,  and  sometimes  in  cliffs  ;  they  are  bulky  plat- 
forms of  branches,  with  a  slight  depression,  lined  with  twigs,  roots 
and  grasses,  and  frequently  altogether  without  lining.  Both  sexes  in- 
cubate. Two  or  three  eggs  are  laid,  and  they  are  noted  for  the  beauty 
of  their  coloration.  On  a  ground  color  varying  from  light  and  dark 
cinnamon  to  reddish  and  umber-brown,  are  specks,  spots,  blotches  and 
cloudings  of  yellowish  or  reddish-brown,  bright  chestnut,  umber  or 
claret-brown.  The  markings  are  variously  distributed  over  the  sur- 
face; in  some  specimens  they  are  dispersed  over  the  entire  egg,  while 
in  others  scattering  or  more  abundant  at  the  smaller  or  greater  half; 
occasional  specimens  are  found  almost  entirely  unmarked.  The  sizes 
vary  from  2.10  to  2.92  in  length  by  1.37  to  1.90  in  breadth. 

Mr.  Norris  has  a  series  of  fifteen  sets  in  his  collection — eight  sets 
of  two  eggs  and  seven  sets  of  three. 

364.    Pandion  haliaetus  carolinensis    (Gmel.).     [425.] 

American  Osprey. 

Hab.  Nearly  cosmopolitan.  In  America  from  Alaska  and  Hudson's  Bay  south  to  West  Indies  and 
Northern  South  America. 

This  winged  fisher  inhabits  the  entire  temperate  North  America, 
breeding  anywhere  in  suitable  places  throughout  its  range.  Found 
about  ialand  waters,  and  particularly  along  the  sea  coast.  Mr.  W.  W. 
Worthington,  of  Shelter  Island,  N.  Y.,  says  they  are  exceedingly  varia- 
ble in  the  choice  of  a  nesting  place.  On  Gardiner's  Island  they  all  build 
in  trees  at  distances  varying  from  ten  to  seventy-five  feet  from  the 
ground;  on  Plum  Island,  where  a  great  many  of  them  breed,  a  large 
number  place  their  nests  on  the  ground^  some  being  built  up  to  the 


NORTH   AMERICAN    BIRDS. 


191 


height  of  four  or  five  feet,  while  others  are  simply  a  few  sticks  ar- 
ranged in  a  circle,  and  the  eggs  laid  on  the  bare  sand.  On  Shelter 
Island  they  build  on  the  chimneys  of  houses,  and  a  pair  has  a  nest  on 
the  cross-bar  of  a  telegraph  pole.  Another  pair  has  a  nest  on  a  large 
rock  in  Gardiner's  Bay,  near  Gardiner's  Island.  They  are  made 
chiefly  of  coarse  sticks  and  sea  weed  and  anything  that  is  handy,  such 
as  pieces  of  dry  cow  dung,  bones,  old  shoes,  straw,  etc. 

A  curious  nest  of  the  Fish  Hawk  was  found  by  Mr.  S.  C.  Shick  in 
May,  1888,  on  the  coast  of  New  Jersey.  A  set  of  three  eggs  was  taken, 
and  upon  descending  the  tree,  Mr.  Shick  observed  a  nest  of  the  Purple 
Grackle,  Qtiiscalus  qiiisada^  securely  imbedded  in  the  loose  material  of 
the  Osprey's  nest ;  from  this  he  took  five  eggs.  At  the  bottom  of  the 
Osprey's  nest  was  a  thick,  rotten  limb,  in  which  there  was  a  Tree  Swal- 
low's nest  containing  seven  eggs. 

Mr.  Worthington,  who  has  collected  hundreds  of  the  eg^s  of  this 
species,  and  to  whom  I  am  indebted  for  a  large  series,  sayf  the  largest 
set  of  eggs  he  has  ever  taken  or  seen  is  four ;  the  usual  number,  how- 
ever, is  three,  though  sets  of  two  are  common.  They  are  .subject  to 
great  variation ;  the  ground  color  is  of  a  yellowish  or  creamy-white, 
spotted,  streaked  and  blotched  with  reddish-brown  cind  umber,  so 
thickly  at  the  larger  end  as  to  completely  obscure  the  ground,  some  are 
marked  chiefly  at  the  smaller  end ;  in  a  series  of  two  hundred  eggs  be- 
fore me,  there  is  a  wonderful  diversity  of  coloring  ;  some  are  almost 
entirely  unmarked.  The  shapes  and  sizes  also  exhibit  great  variations ; 
Four  selected  specimens  measure  2.Q5XI.65,  2.21x1.76,  2.42x1.76, 
2.54x1.87.     The  average  size  is  2.40x1.75. 

365.    Strix  pratincola    Bonap.    [394.]    *     . 

American  Barn  O'wl. 

Hab.     United  States  in  general,  south  into  Mexico. 

A  beautiful  ochraceous-yellow  or  amber-colored  owl ;  sometimes 
called  the  "Monkey-faced  Owl."  A  constant  resident  of  the  southern 
portions  of  the  United  States.  Mr.  Stuart  says  that  in  Florida  the 
Barn  Owl  breeds  most  generally  in  March,  usually  in  hollow  trees, 
sometimes  in  deserted  buildings  or  in  the  wrecks  of  boats  left  along 
the  coast.  I  am  informed  by  Mr.  Shields  that  in  the  region  of  Los 
Angeles,  California,  this  Owl  nests  almost  anywhere  ;  in  church  towers, 
hollow  trees,  holes  in  banks,  in  barns,  pigeon  houses,  old  crows'  nests, 
and  even  in  holes  in  the  ground.  He  took  a  set  of  five  eggs  from  a 
nest  in  a  burrow  far  out  upon  the  plains.  The  breeding  season  he 
states  begins  about  the  first  of  April,  and  continues  until  the  last  of 
June.     Natural  cavities  of  trees  are  this  bird's  usual  nesting  places. 


h\ 


192 


NKSTS  AND   KGGS  OF 


I 


Mr.  Samuel  C.  Evans  writes  that  along  the  Santa  Ana  River  are 
high  banks,  perforated  with  holes,  in  which  these  owls  nest.  The 
eggs  are  often  found  in  various  stages  of  incubation  in  the  same  nest — 
some  fresh  and  others  nearly  hatched.  The  nests  are  scantily  sup- 
plied with  a  few  sticks,  straw,  bones  and  other  refuse  of  food.  The 
number  of  eggs  deposited  by  the  Barn  Owl  ranges  from  five  to  eleven, 
rarely  the  latter  number ;  some  writers  say  three  to  ten.  I  know  of 
several  authentic  sets  of  eleven.  Their  color  is  plain,  dead  white  ;  their 
shape  ovate  Six  specimens  measure  1.75x1.35,  1.67x1.30,  1.79X 
1.33,  1.67x1.34,  1.72x1.35,1.68x1.29.  Twenty-eight  specimens  have 
an  average  sixe  of  1.74  x  1.30.  The  largest  egg  of  the  Owl  of  which  I 
have  any  record  is  in  the  collection  of  Joseph  M,  Wade,  Boston,  Massa- 
chusetts; it  measures  1.97x1.40. 

366.     Aslo  wilsonlanus    (Less.)     [395.] 

Amerloan  Long-eared  Owl. 

Hab,    Temper.ite  North  America,  south  into  Mexico. 

The  Long-eared  Owl  is  a  common  resident  and  generally  dis- 
tributed throughout  North  America  at  large.  It  is  of  nocturnal  habits, 
thus  escaping  observation,  even  where  it  is  very  common.  Its  food 
consists  chiefly  of  mice  and  other  small  rodents.  Breeds  in  suitable 
places  wherever  found.  Forests  of  evergreens  are  favorite  resorts  of 
this  species  for  breeding  purposes.  The  nest  is  constructed  with  very 
little  art ;  composed  of  a  few  sticks  with  a  more  or  less  complete  lin- 
ing of  feathers.  Various  nesting  places  are  selected  ;  such  as  a  hollow 
tree  or  stump,  rift  of  rock,  an  old  crow's  or  hawk's  nest,  which  is  re- 
paired with  a  few  sticks.  In  some  localities  the  nest  is  made  on  the 
ground  or  on  low  bushes,  and  the  same  nest  is  occupied  for  several 
years.  In  the  West  where  this  Owl  is  very  abundant  it  frequently  de- 
posits its  eggs  in  old  Magpies'  nests.  In  California  it  begins  nesting 
as  early  as  the  middle  of  February ;  in  Kansas  the  eggs  are  deposited 
early  in  April. 

The  eggs  are  from  three  to  six,  and  sometimes  seven  in  number ; 
they  are  white  and  oval  in  shape.  Three  eggs  of  this  Owl  are  in 
my  collection,  taken  from  an  old  hawk's  nest  in  Knox  county,  Ohio, 
April  20,  1884 ;  they  were  so  far  advanced  in  incubation  that  they 
could  hardly  be  preserved  ;  these  measure  1.62x1.32,  1.57x1.28,  1.59 
x  1.35.  Three  eggs  from  a  set  of  five  collected  in  Marion  county,  Ohio, 
April  9,  1884,  measure  1.65  x  1.27,  1.59x1.33,  1.75x1.28.  A  set  of  six 
eggs  from  an  old  Magpie's  nest,  collected  in  Douglas  county,  Colorado, 
April  20,  1885,  measure  1.59x1.32,  1.64x1.33,  1.57x1.38,  1.65x1.44, 
1.60x1.35,  1.60XI.40. 


umber ; 
are  in 
,  Ohio, 

at  they 

8,  1.59 
,  Ohio, 

of  six 
)lorado, 

XI.44, 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS.  193 

367.    Asio  accipitrlnas    (Pall.)    [396.] 

Short-MurtMl  OwL 

Hab,    Entire  North  Amtrica;  nearly  coimopolitan. 

The  Marsh  Owl,  or  Short-eared  Owl,  is  found  throughout  North 
America  at  large,  but  is  more  abundant  in  the  Arctic  regions  during 
the  breeding  season  than  it  is  in  the  United  States.  It  frequents  the 
marshes,  the  thickets  of  bottom  lands,  and  it  seems  to  be  particularly 
common  in  the  tall  weeds  and  grass  of  fields  and  meadows.  In  the 
West  it  is  found  on  the  vast  prairies,  along  sloughs,  hiding  in  the  day- 
time among  the  sage  bushes  and  tall  grass.  This  Owl  is  the  species 
commonly  shot  by  sportsmen,  as  it  rises  from  a  field,  marsh  or  thicket. 
It  is  nocturnal,  but  often  hunts  its  food  on  dark  days  ;  this  consists  of 
field  mice,  moles,  shrews  and  other  small  rodents.  The  nest  is  made 
on  the  ground  in  the  matted  grass  of  marsh  land ;  it  may  be  found  in 
a  depression,  at  the  foot  of  a  bush,  beside  a  log,  or  in  a  burrow  made 
by  a  rabbit  or  a  muskrat ;  a  few  sticks,  soft  grasses  and  a  few  of  its 
own  feathers  usually  comprise  the  nest  proper;  sometimes  the  eggs 
are  laid  on  the  bare  ground.  The  complement  of  eggs  ranges  from 
four  to  seven.  In  Ohio  they  are  deposited  in  the  month  of  April, 
sometimes  as  early  as  the  latter  part  of  March,  or  as  late  as  the  middle 
of  May.  Within  these  dates  it  doubtless  may  be  found  breeding 
throughout  the  United  States.  A  set  of  six  eggs  in  my  cabinet,  with 
the  parent  bird,  collected  by  A.  Corwin,  in  Morrow  county,  Ohio,  May 
8,  1884,  measure  1.60x1.20,  1.56x1.19,  1.50x1.21,  1.52 x  1.20,  1.64 x 
1. 18,  1.56x1.22.  They  are  white  and  oval  in  shape.  The  nest 
was  on  the  ground,  between  logs,  at  the  edge  of  a  blackberry  patch. 
The  average  size  of  the  eggs  is  1.55  x  1.25. 

368.    Syrnium  nebulosum    (Forst.)    [397.] 

Barred  O^rl. 

Hab.  Eastern  United  States,  north  to  southern  British  Provinces;  south  to  Georgia  and  Northern 
Texas. 

Called  the  American  Hoot  Owl  or  Wood  Owl,  and  Round-headed 
Owl.  A  large  dark-eyed  species,  common  to  wooded  lands  of  Eastern 
United  States,  especially  bottom  woods ;  those  of  swamps,  along 
ravines  and  rivers  where  there  is  a  heavy  growth  of  tall  timber.  The 
loud,  laughing  notes  of  this  Owl,  heard  in  the  night,  are  something 
terrible,  and  if  heard  about  the  farm-house  or  camp-fire  will  not  soon 
be  forgotten.  Its  flight  is  soft,  as  if  on  wings  of  down,  noiseless, 
quick  and  easy.  Nests  in  hollows  of  trees,  in  old  nests  of  hawks  and 
crows.  In  Ohio  it  is  said  to  breed  as  early  as  the  last  of  February,  but 
I  have  always  found  it  nesting  in  April  and  the  first  half  of  May. 
In  New  London  county,  Connecticut,  Mr.  C.  ly.  Rawson  has  taken  eggs 

14 


i 

I  I 
f 


i^ 


194 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


of  this  Owl  in  February,  which  were  deposited  on  a  solid  cake  of  ice 
in  a  cavity  or  in  the  open  nest ;  he  states  that  of  late  years  full  clutches 
of  eggs  are  deposited  by  the  last  of  March.  The  usual  time  of  nest- 
ing in  Iowa  is  March  and  April.  The  same  nesting  place  is  occupied 
by  the  birds  for  years,  even  after  being  robbed  many  times. 

The  eggs  are  two  or  three  in  number,  very  rarely  four ;  globular, 
white.  Between  the  eggs  of  this  species  and  those  of  the  Great  Horned 
Owl  there  is  commonly  considerable  difference  in  dimensions  in  favor 
of  the  former,  but  sometimes  they  approach  each  other  so  closely  that 
to  identify  them  by  size  alone  is  impossible.  The  Barred  Owls'  eggs 
measure  in  long  diameter  from  1.87  to  2.20,  and  in  short  diameter  from 

1.50  to  1.75. 

368a.    Syrninm  nebulosum  alleni    Ridgw.    [3971/.] 

Florida  Barred  Owli 

Hab.     Florida,  Texas,  Louisiana  and  adjoining  regions. 

A  darker  colored  race  found  in  Florida,  Texas,  etc.  Mr.  Singley 
states  this  is  the  commonest  owl  in  Lee  county,  Texas,  where  it  fre- 
quents almost  exclusively  the  thick  wooded  bottom  lands.  He  found 
seventeen  nests  in  hollows  of  trees  with  eggs  or  young,  and  the  niim- 
ber  in  each  was  invariably  two.  The  sizes  of  a  set  of  two  eggs  taken 
March  20,  1885,  now  in  Mr.  Norris'  collection,  are  1.89x1.58,  1.86  x 
1.61 ;  six  other  specimens  measure  1.97x1.78,  1.90x1.61,  1.88x1.67, 
1.89x1.60,  1.81  x  1.54,  1.87x1.63.  The  eggs  are  s'abspherical,  pure 
white,  smooth,  without  grauiilations.* 

369.    Syrnium  occidentale    Xantus.     [398.] 

Spotted  Owl. 

Hab.    Southwestern  United  States,  California,  Arizon.-.,  New  Mexico,  Lower  California  and   Mexico. 

By  no  means  a  common  bird  and  comparatively  little  is  known 
concerning  its  life  history.  The  Western  Barred  Owl  was  first  de- 
scribed iu  1859  from  a  specimen  which  remained  unique  in  collections 
until  Captain  Bendire  rediscovered  it  in  Arizona  in  the  spring  of  1872. 
A  nest  was  found  April  17,  which  appeared  to  have  been  built  by  the 
birds  themselves,  and  was  placed  about  thirty  feet  from  the  ground ; 
composed  of  small  sticks  and  twigs,  lined  with  grasses,  bark  and  a  few 
feathers.  It  contained  one  white  globular  egg.  Professor  Ridgway 
gives  the  size  of  an  egg  as  2.05x1.80.  Mr.  Norris  has  a  set  of  two 
eggs  collected  by  E.  M.  Haight,  near  Riverside,  California,  May  19, 
1885.  They  measure  2.11x1.67,  2.12x1.68;  they  were  laid  on  the 
bare  ground  at  the  base  of  a  large  rock. 

370.    Ulula  cinerea    (Gmel.)    [399.] 

Great  Gray  Ove-l, 

Hab.     Arctic  America,  south  in  winter  to  the  northern  border  of  the  United  States. 

An  immense  owl — one  of  the  largest  in  North  America, — round- 


<'  Ornithologist  and  Oologist,  XI,  pp.  HO-141. 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


195 


headerl  and  very  much  resembling  the  Barred  Owl  in  appearance.  It 
breeds  far  northward.  Dr.  Richardson  met  with  this  species  in  the 
fur  regions  and  found  it  common  on  the  borders  of  Great  Bear  Lake, 
keeping  constantly  in  the  woods,  hunting  hares  and  other  smaller 
quadrupeds.  May  23  a  nest  was  found  built  on  the  top  of  a  lofty 
balsam-poplar,  composed  of  sticks  with  a  lining  of  feathers.  Mr.  Mac- 
Farlane  found  this  Owl  abundant  in  the  Anderson  River  region,  and 
on  July  19  discovered  a  nest  built  in  the  top  of  a  pine  tree,  twenty  feet 
from  the  ground  ;  it  was  composed  of  sticks,  mosses  and  thinly  lined 
with  down.  The  eggs  are  white,  two  01  three  in  number,  and  the 
average  size  given  is  2.16x1.71. 

371.    Nyctala  tengmaimi  richardsoni    (Bonap.)    [400] 

Richardson's  Otrl. 

Hab.    Northern  North  America,  south  in  winter  to  northern  border  of  the  United  States. 

The  American  Sparrow  Owl,  or  Richardson's  Owl,  so  far  as  known 
breeds  in  northern  latitudes  and  is  supposed  to  nest  as  far  south  as 
Nova  Scotia.  In  Western  Manitoba,  in  the  Red  River  region,  it  is 
quite  common  in  the  wooded  districts.  Specimens  of  this  Owl  have 
been  taken  in  various  parts  of  the  Arctic  regions,  as  at  Fort  Simpson, 
Fort  Resolution,  etc.,  and  in  Alaska.  Dr.  Richardson  states  that  it  in- 
habits all  the  wooded  country  from  Great  Slave  Lake  to  the  United 
States.  The  nest  is  described  as  built  in  trees,  composed  of  grass 
and  leaves;  the  eggs  two  to  four  in  number  and  their  average  size 
1.35  X  1. 14.     They  are  globular  in  shape  and  white  in  color. 

372.    Nyctala  acadica    (Gmel.)    [401.] 

Saw-iirliet  OurL 

Hab.    Whole  of  North  America;  breeding  from  Middle  United  States  northward. 

The  Acadian  Owl  is  the  smallest  member  of  the  family  found  in 
Eastern  North  America,  and  it  inhabits  the  United  States  from  the 
Atlantic  to  the  Pacific,  ranging  north  into  British  America;  southward 
in  wooded,  mountainous  regions,  into  Mexico.  Its  shrill,  harsh  notes, 
resembling  the  filing  of  a  saw,  have  occasioned  its  name. 

The  bird  has  been  found  breeding  in  Massachusetts,  Maine,  New 
York,  etc.,  nesting  in  holes  of  trees,  artificial  nests,  and  in  the  old 
nests  of  herons.  Mr.  William  Brewster  records  a  set  of  four  eggs 
taken  April  5,  near  Tyngsboro,  Massachusetts,  by  Mr.  W.  Perham  ;  they 
were  deposited  in  artificial  nests  made  from  sections  of  hollow  trunks, 
nailed  to  trees  in  woods.  The  sizes  of  four  eggs  are  given,  as  follows : 
1. 21  X. 95,  1. 21  X. 98,  1. 25 X. 96,  1.25 X. 97.  Other  eggs  were  taken 
from  similar  nests  by  Mr.  Perham. 

Near  Utica,  New  York,  Mr.  Egbert  Bagg,  on  the  dates  of  April 


t'\ 


196 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


7,  21  and  30, 1886,  found  four  sets  of  the  eggs  of  this  species  ;  two  sets 
of  five  and  two  of  seven  eggs  each.  They  were  taken  from  deserted 
woodpeckers'  excavations  in  tree  stubs,  ranging  from  twenty-two  to 
fifty  feet  from  the  ground.  The  eggs  were  laid  on  the  rotten  chips  in 
the  cavities,  and  a  few  feathers  of  the  Owl  were  present.  The  eggs 
are  white,  nearly  elliptical;  the  average  size  is  1.20 x  1.02.  The  num- 
ber ranges  from  four  to  seven. 

373.    Megascops  asio    (Linn.)    |"402.] 

Soreeoli  Owl. 

Hab.     Eastern  United  States,  north  to  British  Provincca;  west  to  the  Great  Plains,  south  to  Georgia. 

The  Mottled  Owl  is  resident  throughout  Eastern  United  States 
and  Canada  ;  west  to  the  Rocky  Mountains  ;  on  the  limits  of  its  range 
shades  into  several  varieties.  The  eggs  of  the  different  varieties  of 
Megascops  are  not  distinguishable.  The  nest  of  the  Little  Horned  or 
Red  Owl,  as  it  is  often  called,  is  made  in  a  hollow  tree  or  stump,  some- 
times in  the  topmost  corner  inside  of  an  old  barn  or  shed.  I  have 
found  several  nests  between  the  broken  siding  of  ice-houses  along 
streams.  The  materials  used  are  a  few  sticks,  leaves,  feathers,  etc.,  on 
which  the  eggs  are  laid.  In  the  month  of  April,  1885,  a  farmer  brought 
me  nine  young,  with  the  parent  birds,  which  he  had  taken  from  a  hol- 
low tree.  One  of  the  old  birds  was  gray,  the  other  red,  and  some  of 
the  young  were  of  the  red,  and  some  of  the  gray  type  of  coloration, 
this  being  a  common  occurrence. 

The  eggs  of  this  bird  range  usually  from  four  to  six,  frequently 

eight,  and  rarely  nine  ;  they  are  white,  nearly  round  and  average  1.40 

X  1.20. 

373a.    Megascops  asio  floridanus    (Ridgw.)    [403a.] 

Florida  Soreeoh  Owl. 

Hab.     Florida,  Southern  Georgia,  occasional  in  Louisiana. 

A  smaller  and  much  darker  form  in  the  red  and  gray  phases  of 
plumage  inhabiting  Florida  and  adjoining  regions.  Its  habits  are  the 
same  as  those  of  M.  asio,  and  eggs  in  my  collection  are  not  distin- 
guishable except,  perhaps,  by  their  smaller  size,  1.32  x  1. 15. 

373^.    Megascops  asio  mccallii    (Cass)    [402^.] 

Texas  Sor«eoh  Ow^l. 

Hab.    Rio  Grande  Valley  of  Texas,  south  to  Guatemala. 

This  is  a  slightly  darker  bird  than  asio^  of  the  same  size  as  flori- 
danus, and  found  in  the  red  and  gray  plumage.  Three  eggs  in  my 
cabinet,  collected  near  Corpus  Christi,  March  20,  1885,  measure  1.36  x 
1.17,1.33x1.18,1.36x1.15. 


NORTH  AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


197 


373^.    Megasoops  asio  bendirei    (Brewst.) 

Califontla  SorMoh  OwL 

Hab.    California. 

No  red  phase  of  plumage  is  known  in  this  bird ;  it  is  grayish- 
brown  or  brownish-gray,  and  very  much  like  M.  asio^  being  of  the  same 
size.  Eggs  in  my  collection  from  Petaluma  and  Riverside,  California, 
do  not  differ  from  those  of  the  Eastern  representative.  Four  speci- 
mens measure  1.38x1.18,1.40x1.18,1.47x1.19,  1.47x1.20.  The  aver- 
age of  ten  eggs  is  1.40  x  1.17. 

373i.    Megasoops  aslo  kennicottii    (Elliot.)    [4oa</.] 

Kennloott's  Soraeoh  OvrL 

Hab.     Region  of  the  Northwest  coast,  from  Sitka  to  Oregon,  east  to  Montana. 

Kennicott's  Screech  Owl,  in  the  red  and  gray  phase  of  plumage, 
averages  considerably  larger  than  asio  and  mccallii.  Length  about 
eleven  inches. 

Its  general  habits  are  essentially  the  same  as  those  of  M.  asio. 
Captain  Bendire  gives  the  sizes  of  a  set  of  four  eggs  taken  from  a  hole 
in  a  Cottonwood  in  Washington  Territory,  April  7,  as  1.47  x  1.28,  1.43 
xi.29,  1.45  X  1.30,  1.46  X  1.30.  The  cavity  from  which  these  eggs  were 
taken  was  sixteen  inches  deep  and  twenty-five  feet  from  the  ground. 


373<r    Megascops  asio  maxwelllse    (Ridgw.) 

Rooky  Monntain  Soreeoh  Owl. 

Hab.    Rocky  Mountain  region,  from  Colorado  north  to  Montana. 


[402^.] 


This  form  of  the  Screech  Owl  has  been  named  in  honor  of  Mrs. 
M.  A.  Maxwell,  of  Boulder,  Colorado,  a  noted  huntress  and  taxidermist. 
No  gray  phase  is  observed  in  this  form,  but  the  whole  plumage  is  very 
light  colored.  Mr.  Norris  has  a  set  of  four  eggs,  taken  near  Loveland, 
Colorado,  April  20,  1888;  they  measure  1.49x1.19,  1.46x1.20,  1.46 x 
1.21,  1.54  X  1.26. 

373/    Megascops  asio  trichopsis    (Wagl.)    [403.] 

Mexioan  Soreeoh  Oirl. 

Hab.     Northwestern  Mexico  into  Arizona,  New  Mexico  and  northward  to  Colorado. 

The  plumage  of  this  form  is  described  as  nearly  ashy-gray  above, 
with  broad  blackish  streaks  in  strong  contrast,  blackish  bars  on  lower 
parts  numerous,  black  border  on  the  face  and  black  spots  on  the  breast. 
Its  general  habits  do  not  differ  from  those  of  its  Northern  and  Eastern 
relatives.    Average  size  of  the  eggs,  1.30 x  i.io. 

374.    Megascops  flammeolus    (Kaup.)    [404.] 

Flanunnlated  Soreeoh  0\r\, 

Hab.     Northern  California  and  Colorado,  southward  to  Mexico  and  the  highlands  of  Guatemala. 

A  small  species  whose  general  appearance  is  that  of  a  young  or 
rather  an  ungrown  Mottled  Owl,  M.  asio — the  toes  are  entirely  naked 


%  ■ 
%  - 


^iv 


198 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


to  the  extreme  base.  A  nest  of  this  Owl  was  found  in  Fremont  county, 
Colr-^do,  June  15,  1875,  by  Charles  E.  Akin;  it  was  in  a  dead  pine 
*^^  ,  and  contained  one  egg,  which  was  taken  with  the  female  bird.  In 
»,,  lor  and  shape  the  egg  resembles  those  of  other  species  of  the  genus, 
and  measures  1.12X.95. 

375.    Bubo  virKinianus    (Gmel.)    [405.] 

Great  Horned  Owl. 

Huh.  £'  jtern  North  America,  westward  as  far  as  the  Mississippi  Valley,  and  from  Labrador  south  to 
Co:  :a  Kica. 

Literature  abounds  with  the  observations  of  naturalists  on  the 
habits  of  the  Great  Horned  Owl,  and  the  pages  of  prose,  poetry  and 
song  graphically  depict  its  many  characteristics. 

It  is  known  as  the  Hoot  or  Cat  Owl,  or  "  Hooter,"  and  is  the  largest 
of  all  the  owls  with  ear-tufts.  A  common  bird  throughout  North 
America  at  large  in  its  several  geographical  varieties,  the  present 
species  being  restricted  to  the  region  east  of  the  Mississippi  Valley. 
Barn-yards  are  its  favorite  hunting  grounds,  and  its  depredations  done 
there  among  the  poultry  are  well  known.  Rabbits,  raccoons,  weasels, 
mink  and  other  quadrupeds,  with  an  occasional  quail  or  grouse,  make 
up  a  large  portion  of  this  bird's  food.  The  bones,  fur  and  feathers  of 
these  animals,  and  other  refuse  of  food  may  be  found  in  their  nests  in 
greater  or  less  abundance,  and  the  nesting  places  are  also  fre- 
quently impregnated  with  the  odor  of  the  skunk.  This  bird  does  not 
migrate,  but  is  resident  wherever  found.  It  generally  breeds  earlier 
than  the  Barred  Owl.  The  time  of  nesting  is  usually  in  February  and 
March,  and  I  know  of  eggs  comparatively  fresh  taken  April  15,  but 
through  extensive  research  and  information  furnished  by  correspond- 
ents regarding  the  nesting,  the  greater  portion  of  the  eggs  are  deposited 
in  the  latter  part  of  February  or  the  first  part  of  March ;  at  least  more 
eggs  have  been  collected  at  that  time  than  at  any  other  period ;  and 
these  dates  will  apply  to  the  nesting  of  all  other  forms  of  this  Owl. 

Deep  woods  are  its  favorite  haunts  while  breeding,  where  its  bulky 
nests  of  sticks,  bark,  leaves,  etc.,  may  be  found  in  the  branches  of  trees 
ranging  from  twenty  to  one  hundred  feet  from  the  ground,  or  the  eggs 
may  be  deposited  in  a  natural  cavity  of  a  tree.  The  deserted  nests  of 
crows  or  those  of  hawks  are  appropriated — the  nests  of  the  Red-tail, 
Red-shouldered  and  Cooper's  Hawks  being  common  receptacles.  In 
Florida  and  some  other  sections  the  nests  of  the  Bald  Eagle,  O^prey 
and  Caracara  Eagle  are  frequently  taken  possession  of  by  this  Owl, 
and  the  same  pair  of  birds  will  occupy  a  nest  for  successive  years,  even 
after  being  annually  molested  and  robbed.  A  rap  on  the  trunk  of  the 
tree  will  generally  cause  the  birds  to  leave  the  nest.  Besides  the  matet 


wmmmm 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


199 


already  mentioned,  the  ca\ities  will  often  contain  weed-stems,  corn- 
stalks, corn-silk  and  feathers  from  the  breast  of  the  mother-bird,  and 
again  the  eggs  will  be  found  laid  upon  the  bare  ground  or  decayed  wood 
of  the  cavity  in  the  presence  of  a  few  bones  and  skulls  of  animals. 

This  Owl  deposits  two  or  three  white,  globular  eggs.*  Five  sets  of 
two  eggs  each  are  in  my  cabinet  from  Florida,  Indiana,  Iowa  and  Ohio ; 
the  ten  specimens  measure,  2.18x1.72,  2.20x1.78,  2.24x1.80,  2.26X 
1.88,  2.26X  1.79,  2.29 X  1.82,  2.31  X  1.88,  2.30x1.89,  2.28X  1.74,  2.32  X  1.80. 

A  large  series  in  Mr.  Norris'  collection  show  great  variation  in 
size. 

375a.    Bubo  virginianus  subarcticus    (Hoy.).     {405  a, pari.]        ^ 

Wertern  Homed  Owl. 

Hab.  Western  United  States,  from  the  Great  Plains  westward  (except  the  northwestern  coast'i  ;  east 
casually  to  Illinois,  Wisconsin  and  western  portion  of  Canada,  north  to  Manitoba,  south  to  Mexican  table 
lands. 

A  lighter  colored  form  inhabiting  Western  United  States.  Its  nest- 
ing, eggs  and  other  characteristics  are  the  same  as  those  of  B.  virgin- 
ianus. Four  eggs  in  my  collection  from  Riverside,  Cal.,  taken  in 
March,  1884,  measure,  2.16x1.78,  2.20x1,74,  2.25x1.76,  2.16x1.78. 

Mr.  Norris  has  three  sets  of  two  eggs  each  ;  one  from  Berkeley,  Cal., 
taken  April  10,  1880,  sizes,  2.05x1.17,  2.02x1.75;  another  from  Los 
Angeles  county,  Cal.,  collected  March  10,  1887,  show  the  following 
measurements  :  2.07  x  1.75,  2.13  x  1.71.  The  third  set  were  also  taken 
in  Los  Angeles  county,  California,  on  March  3,  1887,  and  measuie 
2.10XI.73,  2.14x1.71. 

375/5.    Bubo  virginianus  arcticus    (Swains.)    [4o5<J.]; 

Arctic  Horned  Owl. 

Hab.  Chiefly  the  interior  of  Arctic  America  (Fur  Countries),  south  in  winter  to  the  Northern  Rocky 
Mountains  and  Great  Plains;  Dakota,  Montana  and  Wyoming. 

This  bird's  general  plumage  is  whitish  through  the  fading  of  the 
ground  color  and  restriction  of  the  dark  markings;  beneath  pure 
white,  with  dark  markings.  Prof.  Ridgway  gives  the  average  size  of  the 
eggs  as  2.19  X  1.91. 

375<r.    Bubo  virginianus  saturatus.    Ridgw.    [405(r.] 

Dusky  Horned  Ow^l. 

Hab.     Northwest  coast,  from  Oregon  north  to  Alaska;  Labrador. 

An  extremely  dark  colored  race,  with  the  face  usually  sooty-brown- 
ish or  grayish-white.  Mr.  Norris  has  a  set  of  two  eggs  of  this  bird  taken 
near  Fort  Spokane,  Washington  Territory,  on  March  14,  1886.  They 
measure  2.25  x  1.85,  2.23x1.90. 

^  In  exceptional  cases  four  eggs  have  been  taken  from  a  single  nest,  but  I  am  not  aware  of  an  authentic 
set  of  five  eggs  or  the  extreme  number  of  six  of  the  Eastern  Horned  Owl  as  has  been  reported  of  B.  v.  tui- 
arcticus  in  Colorado.  I  have  in  several  instances  received  sets  of  four  eggs  of  B.  virgtHtaHus,  as  stated  in  tho 
last  edition  of  this  work. 


200 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


! 


376.    Nyctea  nyctea    (Linn.)    [406.] 

Uno-mrf  Otrl« 

Hab.  Northern  portioni  of  the  Northern  Hemiiphere;  in  North  America,  migrating  southward  in 
winter  to  the  Middle  States,  straggling  to  Virginia,  South  Carolina,  Texas,  and  even  to  the  Bermudas. 

This  large  and  beautiful  bird  inhabits  the  boreal  regions  of  both 
continents.  It  is  commonly  called  White  Owl,  and  is  found  with  the 
plumage  almost  immaculate,  or  marked  with  bars  and  spots  of  black 
and  slaty-brown.  It  is  a  bird  of  wide  range,  extending  its  mirations 
as  far  south  as  the  sub-tropical  regions.  During  some  winters  it  is  very 
abundant  in  the  United  States,  especially  in  the  Northern,  Middle  and 
Eastern  States.  The  food  of  the  Snowy  Owl  consists  of  hares,  squir- 
rels, muskrats,  and  other  small  animals,  and,  as  the  bird  is  not  exclu- 
sively nocturnal,  it  catches  these  quadrupeds  in  daytime  as  readily  as 
any  hawk.  It  is  said  to  probably  breed  in  Northern  Maine,  Canada, 
Nova  Scotia,  and  New  Brunswick,  as  it  does  in  Newfoundland  and 
Labrador.  Common  during  the  summer  months  in  the  region  of  Hud- 
son Bay  and  other  portions  of  Arctic  America,  nesting  on  the  ground 
in  moss  on  the  dry  parts  of  marshes.  It  is  recorded  as  a  rare  summer 
resident  near  Lake  Winnipeg,  Manitoba.  A  nest  containing  six  eggs 
of  this  Owl  was  found  in  Manitoba  by  Mr.  Le  Grand  T.  Meyer,  on  the 
26th  of  February,  1879.  The  measurements  of  the  eggs  are  as  follows: 
2.59x1.93,  2.58x1.93,  2.56x1.91,  2.55x1.91,  2.55x1.90,  2.53x1.90. 
The  nest  from  which  these  eggs  were  taken  was  about  eighteen  inches 
above  the  level  of  the  prairie.  It  was  made  of  hay,  grass  and  sticks, 
warmly  lined  with  feathers  from  the  breast  of  the  bird.  The  eggs  were 
deposited  at  irregular  intervals,  as  shown  by  the  considerable  differ- 
ence in  the  size  of  the  embryos  which  they  contained.  The  eggs  were 
oval-oblong  in  shape,  with  a  remarkably  smooth,  glossy  white  surface. 
As  many  as  ten  eggs  are  said  to  be  laid  by  this  species,  and  in  Arctic 
America  they  are  usually  deposited  in  May. 

377o.    Surnia  ulula  caparoch    (Mull.)    [407.] 

American   Hawk    Owl. 

Hab.  Northern  North  America;  south  in  winter  to  Northern  border  of  the  United  States ; occasional 
in  British  Islands. 

A  bird  hawk-like  in  appearance,  but  nevertheless  a  true  owl,  and 
being  the  least  nocturnal  of  its  tribe,  it  is  called  Day  Owl.  Its  food  is 
chiefly  field-mice  and  other  small  rodents,  hawked  for  in  broad  day- 
light. The  Hawk  Owl  inhabits  the  northern  portions  of  North  Amer- 
ica, and  is  said  to  breed  from  Maine  northward. 

Dr.  Richardson  notes  this  species  as  common  throughout  the  Fur 
Countries  from  Hudson  Bay  to  the  Pacific.  It  was  found  in  consider- 
able numbers  by  Mr.  MacFarlane  in  the  Anderson  River  region,  nest- 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


201 


ing  in  top  branches  of  pine  trees.  Dr.  Brewer  describes  a  nest  con- 
taining six  eggs  taken  by  Mr.  MacFarlane  on  the  28th  of  April,  which 
was  composed  of  dry  sticks  and  lined  with  hay  and  a  few  feathers. 
Another,  which  contained  six  eggs,  was  lined  with  green  mosses  and 
deer's  hair.  One  nest  contained  as  many  as  seven  eggs,  and  all  but 
one  had  as  many  as  six.  Mr.  R.  B.  Ross  found  this  Owl  breeding  in 
the  Great  Slave  Lake  district  as  early  as  the  last  of  March  or  first  of 
April.  A  common  species  about  Nulato,  on  the  Yukon,  Alaska,  where 
Mr.  W.  H.  Dall,  on  April  5th,  obtained  six  eggs  which  were  laid  in  a 
hollow,  in  the  top  of  an  old  birch  stump,  fifteen  feet  from  the  ground. 
The  eggs  are  said  to  range  from  two  to  six  in  number,  dull  white  in 
color,  rounded-oval  in  shape,  and  average  in  their  long  diameter  1.53, 
and  in  their  short  diameter  1.25. 

The  Hawk  Owl  of  the  northern  portions  of  the  Old  World,  Surnia 
ulula,  is  said  to  be  an  accidental  visitant  to  Western  Alaska. 

378.    Speotyto  cunicularla  hypogsea    (Bonap.)    [408.] 

BnrroiHng  Owl. 

Hab.  Western  United  States,  from  the  Great  Plains  to  the  Pacific,  south  to  Guatemala.  Accidental 
in  New  England. 

The  Burrowing  Owl,  made  famous  by  popular  stories  of  its  living 
in  burrows  and  holes  of  the  ground  with  rattlesnakes,  gophers  and 
prairie  dogs,  inhabits  the  treeless  regions  of  Western  North  America, 
from  the  plains  to  the  Pacific.  It  is  found  in  all  suitable  places  in 
Kansas,  Colorado,  Utah,  Nevada,  Nebraska,  Indian  Territory,  Wyom- 
ing, Dakota,  Montana,  New  Mexico,  Arizona,  Washington  Territory, 
Oregon  and  California.  They  are  usually  abundant,  and  congregate  in 
large  communities,  breeding  in  deserted  burrows  of  quadrupeds,  such 
as  the  prairie  dog,  badger  or  gopher,  and  there  is  no  truth  in  the  state- 
ments made  by  travelers  that  the  owls,  gophers  and  rattlesnakes  dwell  to- 
gether in  harmony.  The  Owls  choose  abandoned  burrows,  and  if  a  snake 
or  quadruped  enters,  it  is  only  by  accident  or  for  the  purpose  of  devouring 
the  unsuspicious  Owls.  In  Dakota  and  other  regions  as  many  as  twenty 
of  these  birds  may  be  found  nestling  together  in  one  hole,  at  which  time 
they  are  well  supplied  with  food,  such  as  mice,  shore  larks,  etc.  In 
some  localities  the  nesting  place  is  lined  with  fine  weed-stalks,  feathers, 
bits  of  skin,  etc.,  as  Mr.  Fred.  Corey  informs  me  is  the  case  in  the 
vicinity  of  Santa  Paula,  Cal.  Captain  Charles  E.  Bendire  says  he 
never  found  any  other  material  in  the  cavity  occupied  by  the  nest  than 
broken  pieces  of  horse  or  cow  dung,  in  Washington  Territory.  Around 
the  outside  may  be  found  bits  of  skins  of  gophers,  rats,  mice,  and  ears 
of  small  rabbits.      The  eggs  are  pure  glossy  white,   nearly  round. 


#! 


202 


NESTvS  AND   EGGS   OF 


although  in  a  large  series  any  shape  may  be  found,  from  globular  to 
pyriform.  The  number  laid  varies  from  four  to  ten,  usually  six  or 
eight.  Professor  Evermann  has  a  set  of  eleven  which  he  collected  near 
Santa  Paula,  Cal,,  April  14,  1881,  and  Captain  Bendire  records  an  ex- 
traordinary set  of  twelve,  taken  by  Mr.  Walter  E.  Bryant,  near  Carson, 
Nevada.  The  average  size  given  by  Captain  Bendire  in  a  series  of  t\vo 
hundred  and  fifty  specimens  is  1.24  x  1.03  ;  the  smallest  1.17  x  .97,  the 
largest  1.35  x  1.09. 

378a. 


Hab. 


Speotyto  cunlcularia  floridana    Ridgw.    [408a.] 

Florida  Barrow^lng  Owl- 
Florida  and  adjacent  Bahama  Islands. 


A  smaller  local  race  of  Florida,  having  the  lower  parts  of  its  plum- 
age nearly  pure  white.  In  some  places  in  Florida  colonies  of  these 
birds  are  quite  common,  nesting  in  the  same  manner  as  5".  cunicularia 
hypogcea.  Four  eggs  from  Southern  Manatee  county,  Florida,  taken 
April  10, 1885,  measure,  1.24x1.05,  1.23x1.02,  1.22x1.02,  1.25x1.05.    ' 


Hab, 


379.    Glaucidium  gnoma    Wagl. 

Pygmy  Owli 

Mexico;  north  to  Colorado  and  Oregon. 


[409] 


The  little  Pigmy  Owl,  the  true  G.  gnoma^  belongs  to  Mexico,  and 
is  found  in  the  United  States  as  far  north  as  Colorado  and  Oregon. 
The  California  Pigmy  Owl,  P.  g.  californica,,  is  restricted  to  the  Pacific 
coast  region,  from  Santa  Cruz  northward  to  British  Columbia.  Consid- 
ering the  two  birds  under  one  heading  they  may  be  found  quite  un- 
common in  suitable  places  throughout  the  mountainous  portions  of  the 
West,  but  from  their  very  small  size  and  unobtrusive  habits  they  are 
likely  to  be  overlooked.  The  Pigmy  Owl  feeds  upon  insects  and  the 
smaller  rodents,  which  it  hunts  by  day  as  well  as  by  night.  Its  flight 
is  described  as  short,  quick  and  jerking,  similar  to  that  of  the  Spsirrow 
Hawk.  Comparatively  little  has  been  written  regarding  the  nesting 
and  eggs  of  this  bird. 

Mr.  William  A.  Cooper  describes  a  nest  which  was  found  by  Mr. 
George  H.  Ready,  near  Santa  Cruz,  Cal.,  in  a  deserted  woodpecker's 
excavation  in  the  trunk  of  a  tree  seventy-five  feet  from  the  ground. 
The  burrow  was  about  nine  inches  deep  and  two  inches  across  the 
mouth.  The  nest  was  found  June  8,  1876,  and  contained  three  eggs, 
deposited  upon  a  bed  of  twigs  and  a  few  feathers  for  a  lining,  three 
inches  deep.  One  egg  was  accidentally  broken.  The  two  remaining 
eggs  are  described  as  dull  white,  with  a  scarcely  perceptible  yellowish 
tinge.  The  surface  is  quite  smooth,  and  has  the  appearance  of  having 
been  punctured  with  a  fine  point  over  the  entire  egg.   They  are  oblong- 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


203 


oval  in  shape,  more  pointed  at  one  end ;  sizes  1.17  x  .87,  i.i8x  .90 ;  the 
larger  specimen  is  more  pointed.  Incubation  was  far  advanced,  and 
the  embroyos  were  extracted  with  difficulty.*  These  eggs  belong  to 
P.  g.  californica. 

381.    Micrathene  whitneyi    (Cooper.)    [411.] 

Elf  Owl. 

Hab.    Southern  Arizona,  Southeastern  California,  T^ower  California,  south  to  Southern  Mexico. 

One  of  the  smallest  of  all  raptorial  birds,  first  discovered  by  Dr.  J. 
V  Cooper,  the  type  specimen  being  an  adult  male,  taken  near  Fort 
Mohave,  California,  April  26,  1861.  Others  were  afterwards  taken  by 
Col.  Grayson  on  islands  off  the  western  coast  of  Mexico.  Capt.  Bendire 
took  several  specimens  in  the  dense  mesquite  thickets,  near  Rillito 
Creek,  about  seven  miles  from  Tucson,  Arizona,  in  April,  1872.  He 
also  found  one  of  their  nests  with  fully  fledged  young  in  a  hole  of  a 
mesquite  stump. 

This  Owl  was  found  to  be  common  by  Mr.  F.  Stephens  in  the 
desert  region  about  Tucson  and  Camp  Lowell.  Mr.  W.  E.  D.  Scott 
states  that  it  is  decidedly  the  commonest  Owl  breeding  in  Southern 
Arizona  (Pima,  Pinal  and  Gila  counties),  and  is  very  abundant  during 
the  breeding  time,  nesting  in  the  woodpecker  holes  of  the  giant  cactus. 
The  eggs  range  from  two  to  four  in  number,  ordinarily  three.  Mr. 
Scott  took  a  set  of  five  from  a  nest.  On  one  occasion,  near  Fuller's 
Ranch,  about  the  last  of  May,  1883,  Mr.  Stephens  and  Mr.  Scott  col- 
lected a  large  number  of  the  birds  and  their  eggs  in  a  few  hours.  Mr. 
Walter  E.  Bryant  has  a  set  of  two  eggs  taken  near  Tucson,  Arizona, 
May  28,  1885,  by  Mr.  Herbert  Brown.  The  nest  was  in  an  abandoned 
woodpecker's  hole,  in  a  cactus  about  twenty  feet  from  the  ground ; 
the  cavity  was  about  eight  or  nine  inches  deep.  The  eggs  measure 
26.5  X  23.5,  26  X  22.5  mm.  t  Mr.  Emerson  has  a  set  of  three,  taken  by 
Mr.  Stephens  near  Camp  lyowell.  May  24,  1884.  They  were  found  in 
a  woodpecker's  burrow  in  a  giant  cactus,  ten  feet  from  the  ground. 
The  sizes  are  27  x  23,  26x  23  mm.  J  Mr.  Norris  has  a  set  of  three  eggs 
collected  near  Camp  lyOwell.  They  are  pure  white  and  nearly  globular, 
and  measure  1.04X.93,  1.09X.91,  i.i2x.9i.  These  were  taken  from 
a  woodpecker's  hole  in  a  giant  cactus  twenty  feet  from  the  ground. 

*Bull.  Nutt  Club, Vol.  IV,  pp.  86-87.     An  account  of  these  eggs  and  this  nest  was  also  published  by 
Capt.  Charles  Bendire  in  Troc.  Host.  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  Vol.  XIX,  p.  232. 
1 1.04  X. 83,  1.02  X. 89. 
1 106  X  .91, 1.02  X  .91, 1.06  X  .91. 


204 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


(j 


382.    Gonurus  carolinensis    (Linn.)    [393] 

OarolluM  Paroquet. 

Hab.  Formerly  South  Atlantic  and  Gulf  States;  up  the  Missiitippi  to  Miiiouri;  up  the  Miiiouri 
River  to  the  Platte.  Colorado;  regularly  to  Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois,  Iowa,  Wiiconkin,  Nebraska,  etc.  For- 
merly north  in  the  Eastern  United  States  to  Pennsylvania  and  the  Lakes. 

In  the  first  part  of  the  present  century  the  beautiful  Carolina 
Parakeet  was  very  abundant  in  the  South  Atlantic  and  Gulf  States,  and 
its  migrations  extended  far  northward.  It  has  continued  to  diminish 
in  number  until  it  is  now  nearly  exterminated,  existing  only  in  remote 
localities  of  the  lower  Mississippi  Valley  and  Gulf  States.  It  is  still 
abundant  in  some  regions  of  Florida.  Said  to  breed  in  companies  in 
hollow  trees,  usually  cypress  and  sycamores.  In  a  collection  of  eggs 
made  in  Georgia  between  the  years  1853  ^"^  1865  is  a  set  of  two  eggs 
of  this  species,  taken  April  26,  1855.  Mr.  H.  B.  Bailey  describes  them 
as  creamy-white,  and  pointed  at  one  end;  sizes  1.44X  1.14,  1.45 x  i.jo. 
These  were  deposited  in  a  hollow  tree  on  chips  at  the  bottom.  *  Prof. 
Ridgway  describes  the  eggs  of  this  bird  as  ovate,  short  ovate,  or 
rounded-ovate,  pure  white,  and  gives  the  average  size  as  1.39  x  1.07. 

[383.]    Crotophaga  anl    Linn.    [389.] 

Anl. 

Hab.  West  Indies:  eastern  South  America,  rare  or  casual  in  Florida  and  Louisiana;  accidental  near 
Philadelphia. 

The  Ani,  Black  Witch  or  Savanna  Blackbird,  so  grotesque  in  ap- 
pearance is  only  of  rare  or  accidental  occurrence  in  the  United  States, 
as  in  Southern  Florida,  and  in  other  regions  as  above  cited.  The  bird 
is  from  thirteen  to  fifteen  inches  long ;  tail  eight  inches ;  the  bill  is  ex- 
ceedingly compressed  and  smooth,  or  with  a  few  traverse  wrinkles  on  the 
upper  mandible  ;  the  color  of  the  plumage  is  black,  with  steel-blue 
reflections.  It  is  common  throughout  the  West  Indies  and  in  North- 
eastern South  America.  Observers  state  that  several  of  these  birds 
will  form  sort  of  a  community  or  colony  to  build  an  immense  nest, 
which  is  used  in  common.  It  is  a  large  mass  of  interwoven  twigs, 
lined  with  leaves,  and  is  built  in  trees  or  bushes,  sometimes  in  marshes. 
From  five  to  fourteen  eggs,  or  even  more,  are  deposited  by  the  several 
birds.  These  are  of  a  glaucous-blue  in  color,  usually  covered  with  a 
light  chalky  crust.    Their  average  size  is  1.38  x  i.oo. 

384.    Crotophaga  sulclrostris    Swains.    [390.] 

Orooved«bilIed  Ani. 

Hab.     Lower  Rio  Grande  Valley  in  Texas  and  Lower  Cahfornia  southward  to  Peru. 

The  Grooved-billed  Ani  was  formerly  only  known  from  Yucatan, 
Central  and  South  America.  Between  the  years  1865  and  1871  it  was 
discovered  in  Western  Mexico,  and  finally  added  to  the  fauna  of  the 

*Bull.  Nutt.  Club.,  VIII,  40-41. 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


206 


United  States  by  Mr.  George  B.  Sennett,  who  shot  an  adult  male  on 
May  19,  1878,  at  Lomita  Ranch,  on  the  Rio  Grande,  which  is  seven 
miles  above  Hidalgo. 

The  eggs  of  this  species  are  said  to  range  from  five  to  eight,  usually 
five  in  number,  and  of  the  same  color  as  those  of  the  last  species.  No 
peculiarity  seems  to  be  noted  in  the  nesting  of  this  species ;  no  mention 
is  made  of  eggs  being  laid  in  one  nest  by  several  females,  as  is  the  case 
with  C.  ani^  and  we  would  naturally  expect  the  breeding  habits  of  both 
species  belonging  to  the  same  genus  to  be  very  much  similar.  Col. 
Grayson  states  that  the  nest  is  usually  built  in  a  thorny  tree  or  bush, 
at  a  moderate  height,  and  composed  of  thorns  and  dry  twigs  exteriorly, 
and  lined  with  fibrous  roots.  He  describes  the  eggs  on  the  outside  of 
the  shell  as  rough  and  white,  the  inside  green.  The  birds,  he  remarks, 
associate  in  small  flocks  of  eight  or  ten,  and  are  fond  of  picking  ticks 
off  the  cattle.* 


385.    Geococcyx  californianus    (Less  )    [385.] 

Road-runner. 

Hal>.  Texas,  New  Mexico,  north  to  West<^rn  Indian  Territory  and  Kansas;  Southern  Colorado,  west- 
ward to  California;  Lower  California;  south  into  Mexico. 

The  Ground  Cuckoo,  Snake  Killer  or  Paisano,  as  it  is  differently 
called,  is  a  curious  long-tailed,  chicken-like  bird,  noted  for  its  swiftness 
of  foot.  It  is  found  in  Texas,  New  Mexico,  Arizona  and  California 
southward.  In  Southern  California,  Mr.  Shields  states  that  this  bird  is 
abundant  in  the  chapparal  and  sage  bush  regions.  Its  favorite  food 
consists  of  small  lizards  and  snakes.  It  nests  in  low  trees,  usually  in 
the  low  branches  of  a  cactus  or  in  a  thorny  bush.  A  nest  before  me, 
collected  in  Lee  county,  Texas,  by  J.  A.  Singley,  is  a  coarse  structure 
made  of  sticks.  It  was  placed  in  a  haw  bush  about  eight  feet  from  the 
ground.  The  structure  is  thick  and  clumsy,  with  but  a  slight  depres- 
sion for  the  eggs.  The  latter  are  deposited  at  intervals  of  several  days, 
and  a  perfectly  fresh  egg  is  often  found  with  one  on  the  point  of  hatch- 
ing ;  or  young  birds  of  various  sizes  with  partially  incubated  eggs  in 
the  same  nest  is  of  common  occurrence.  Mr.  Shields  found  eggs  as 
early  as  the  last  of  March,  and  as  late  as  the  middle  of  June.  Most  of 
the  eggs  obtained  by  Mr.  Sennett  in  Southern  Texas  were  deposited  in 
April.  From  two  to  twelve  are  laid,  commonly  five  to  nine ;  the  gen- 
eral shape  is  ovate  and  the  color  white  or  buffy-white.  Six  selected 
specimens  measure  1.56x1.20,  1.51x1.23,  1.60x1.18,  1.50x1.17,  1.57X 
1. 14,  1.56x1.23,  1.58x1.19,  1.61XI.14. 

<■  Lawrence's  Birds  of  Western  and  Northwestern  Mexico:  p.  202. 


206 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OP 


388.    Ooccyzus  minor    (Gmkl.)    [386.] 


MangrsT*  Onokoo. 

Hab.  Weit  Indict  («xcept  Dahamat);  Florida  Keyi;  coait  of  Louiilana;  Central  to  Northern  and 
Eaitern  South  America. 

The  Mangrove  Cuckoo  is  very  much  like  the  yellow-billed  species, 
C.  americantis^  with  the  lower  parts  of  the  plumage  more  deeply  col- 
ored— deep  ochraceous,  often  extending  to  the  throat ;  bill  similar  to 
that  of  C  americanus. 

This  species  occurs  in  nearly  all  of  the  West  Indian  Islands,  except 
the  Bahamas,  and  it  is  a  rare  summer  resident  of  the  Florida  Keys, 
Audubon  records  it  is  a  regular  summer  visitor  to  Key  West  and  the  other 
Keys.  In  the  Island  of  Jamaica  the  Mangrove  Cuckoo  is  said  to  breed 
from  March  to  July,  building  in  the  low  branches  of  trees  and  in  bushes. 
The  nest  is  described  as  a  loosely  made  structure,  composed  of  a  few 
dry  sticks.  The  eggs  are  three,  rarely  four,  in  number,  of  a  glaucous- 
green  color,  oval-oblong  in  shape,  and  on  the  whole  they  are  of  the 
same  size  and  general  appearance  as  those  of  C.  americanus. 

387.    Coccyzus  americanus    (Linn.)    [387.] 

Yelloi^-bllled  Cuokoo. 

Hab.  Eastern  North  America,  north  to  British  Province,  west  to  the  edge  of  Great  Plaint,  lOuth  In 
winter  to  tropical  regions — West  Indies,  Eastern  Mexico  and  Costa  Rica. 

This  bird  is  known  by  several  names,  such  as  Rain  Crow,  Rain  Dove 
and  Chow-chow,  which  are  likewise  applied  to  the  Black-billed  species. 
Wherever  woods  and  undergrowth  abound  in  Eastern  United 
States  the  Yellow-billed  Cuckoo  may  be  seen  in  the  breeding  season. 
Its  peculiar,  resounding  notes  resembling  the  syllables  kouk-kook-kook 
are  probably  uttered  more  frequently  just  before  falling  weather — 
hence  the  name,  Rain  Crow.  Being  somewhat  nocturnal  in  their  habits, 
the  notes  of  both  our  Cuckoos  are  often  heard  at  night.  The  nest 
will  usually  be  found  in  a  low  tree  or  bush,  sometimes  it  is  placed  in  a 
brier  patch  close  to  the  ground.  Thickets  along  streams  or  upon  islands 
are  favorite  nesting  places.  The  usual  distance  of  the  nest  from  the 
ground  is  between  five  and  ten  feet.  It  is  a  slight  structure  of  slender, 
dried  sticks,  sometimes  twelve  to  fifteen  inches  long,  but  generally 
much  shorter,  bark-strips  and  catkins  making  up  the  fabric.  Although 
near  relatives  of  the  notorious  Cuckoo  of  Europe,  which,  like  our 
Cowbird,  lays  its  eggs  in  the  nest  of  other  birds,  our  Cuckoos  generally 
respect  the  marriage  tie,  and  are  not  altogether  deserving  of  the  stigma 
of  the  family  name  of  Cuckoos  of  the  Old  World,  although  its  eggs  are 
sometimes  laid  in  the  nests  of  the  Mourning  Dove,  Catbird,  Cedar 
Waxwing,  Cardinal  Grosbeak,  Robin,  and  others. 


NORTH   AMERICAN    BIRDS. 


207 


The  eggs  are  deposited  at  intervals  of  two  to  five  days,  and  fre- 
quently young  are  found  in  the  nest  with  partially  incubated  eggs. 
Two  to  four  are  usually  laid.  Dr.  Howard  Jones,  in  "  Nests  and  Eggs 
of  the  Birds  of  Ohio,"  says  that  when  incubation  does  not  begin  until 
the  complement  is  completed,  as  is  commonly  the  case,  four  eggs, 
rarely  six,  make  up  the  set.  Mr.  Norris  has  a  set  of  six.  The  average 
size  of  twenty-eight  specimens  is  1.27X.89.  Fresh  eggs  may  be  found 
as  early  as  the  middle  of  May,  in  June,  July  and  even  August.  Not 
infrequently  are  the  eggs  of  the  Yellow-billed  and  lUack-billed  Cuckoos 
found  in  the  same  nest.  The  color  of  the  eggs  is  glaucous-green,  of 
the  same  tint  found  in  heron's  eggs,  which  fades  upon  exposure  to 
light,  and  when  incubated,  this  color  becomes  several  shades  lighter 
than  that  in  the  fresh  specimens. 

*  *    Coccyzus  americanus  ocddentalis    Rmow. 

California  Cnokoo. 

Hab.  Weitern  United  Stato,  north  to  Oregon,  east  to  New  Mexico  and  Colorado,  louth  over  tabU- 
lands  of  Mexico. 

Prof.  Ridgway  describes  this  western  form  as  larger  than  C.  amer- 
uanus,  with  proportionately  larger  and  stouter  bill.*  Mr.  Norris  has 
a  set  of  three  e^jijs  taken  with  the  parent  bird  June  4,  1888,  near  Salem, 
Oregon.  The  nest  was  the  usual  platform  of  sticks,  which  is  charac- 
teristic of  this  family;  situated  in  a  cottonwood  tree,  on  an  island  in  a 
river.  The  eggs  are  of  a  bright  pea  green,  and  measure  i.iix.83, 
1.07 X. 83,  1. 12 X. 84.  Incubation  had  commenced,  and  the  eggs  in  this 
case  more  nearly  approach  those  of  C.  crythrophthahnus  in  color  than 
those  of  C  americamts. 

388.    Coccyzus  erythrophthalmus    (VVils.)    [388.] 

Blaok-billed  Cnokoo. 

Hnb.  Kastern  North  America,  north  to  Labrador  and  Manitoba,  westward  to  the  Rocky  Mountains, 
south  in  winter  to  the  West  Indies  and  Tropical  America, 

The  same  names  are  given  to  this  bird  as  are  common  to  the 
Yellow-billed  Cuckoo,  C.  americanus^  and  their  general  habits  are 
similar.  The  nests  of  the  Yellow  and  Black-billed  Cuckoos  resemble 
each  other  closely,  and  it  is  not  always  possible  to  differentiate 
the  two.  Nests  of  the  former  are  often  found  which  could  not 
be  mistaken  for  those  of  the  Black-billed  on  account  of  the  coarse- 
ness of  the  nest,  larger  .'ize  and  paler  color  of  the  eggs.  How- 
ever, as  a  rule,  the  nest  of  the  Black-bill  is  constntcted  with  more 
care,  the  sticks  being  somewhat  smaller,  the  catkins  less  numerous,  and 
the  whole  woven  together  in  a  firmer  manner.  The  eggs  are  smaller, 
less  elliptical,  and  are  of  a  darker  green — deep  glaucous-green  or  verd- 

'^For  description  see  Manual  of  North  American  Birds:  p.  273. 


!■ 


208 


NESTS  AND   EGGS  OF 


i     I 

I  r 


iter-blue.  The  nest  complement  varies  from  two  to  five,  rarely  six, 
usually  four,  and  they  are  found  in  all  stages  of  incubation,  as  is  the 
case  with  the  eggs  of  C.  americanus.  Ten  specimens  measure  1.13X 
.79,  1.11X.S6,  1. 15 X. 84,  1. 13 X. 80,  1. 17 X. 82,  1. 17 X. 84,  1. 19 X. 80,  1. 12 
X.86,  1. 13 X. 82,  1. 18 X. 89,  with  an  average  size  of  1.T4X.79. 


390.    Ceryle  alcyon    (Linn.) 

Belted  Klngflaher. 

Hab.    Entire  North  America,  South  Panama  and  West  Indies. 


[382.] 


This  is  the  familiar  bird  whose  loud,  coarse,  rattling  notes  are 
heard  along  our  streams.  It  may  be  seen  perched  upon  the  lower 
branches  of  a  tree  overhanging  the  water,  or  on  the  top  of  a  dead 
stump  ;  these  places  furnish  a  favorite  outlook,  from  which  it  plunges 
beneath  the  water  to  secure  its  prey,  which  is  chiefly  fish.  It  is  a 
curious  fact  that  Mr.  W.  E.  D.  Scott  frequently  met  with  this  bird  in 
the  desert  region  of  Southern  Arizona,  far  from  water,  feeding  on  the 
large  insects  and  lizards. 

The  nest  of  the  Kingfisher  is  an  excavation  in  the  face  of  a  per- 
pendicular bank  of  a  stream,  or  in  the  banks  of  gravel  pits.  The 
entrance  is  generally  about  two  or  three  feet  below  the  surface  ;  the  tun- 
ael  is  usually  straight,  but  sometimes  an  angle  from  three  to  six  or 
eight  feet,  and  is  dug  by  the  bird.  The  Kingfisher  ejects  from  its 
mouth  the  bones,  scales  and  other  indigestible  portions  of  its  food,  like 
a  bird  of  prey.  Thus  are  we  able  to  account  for  the  bones  and  other 
remse  of  food  found  in  the  nesting  cavities,  in  the  midst  of  which  the 
eggs  are  deposited.  The  eggs  are  of  a  clear  shining  white,  nearly 
spherical  in  shape,  usually  six  in  number ;  when  the  full  complement 
is  laid  it  generally  lumbers  seven  or  eight.  Six  eggs  measure  1.34  x 
1-07,  1.35x1.08,  1.37x1.04,  1.47x1.03,  1.37x1.05,  1.40XI.08. 

391.    Ceryle  cabanisi    (Tschudi.)    [383.] 

Tejcan  Kingfisher. 

Hab.     Southern  Texas  to  Arizona,  south  to  Ecuador  and  Western  Peru. 

This  beautiful  little  bird,  known  as  Texan  Green  Kingfisher,  is 
quite  common  in  suitable  places  along  the  streams  of  Southern  Texas — 
wherever  the  water  is  not  too  muddy  for  it  to  clearly  see  its  prey. 
Like  the  Belted  Kingfisher,  this  species  nests  in  holes  of  banks* 
depositing  the  eggs  on  the  bare  floor  of  the  cavity,  or  upon  fish-bones 
and  other  extraneous  matter. 

Mr.  Brewster  describes  the  eggs  of  this  species,  taken  in  Comal 
county,  Texas,  April  25,  as  extremely  thin- shelled,  rounded-oval 
and  nearly  elliptical  in  shape,  cleaj  ivory-white,  with  a  rather 
high  polish  ;  others  creamy-white,  with  scarcely  any  polish.    The  sizes 


rarely  six, 
,  as  is  the 
ure  1.13X 
X.80,  1,12 


notes  are 
the  lower 
of  a  dead 
t  plunges 
1.  It  is  a 
is  bird  in 
ig  on  the 

of  a  per- 
ts.     The 

the  tun- 
to  six  or 

from  its 
bod,  like 
nd  other 
hich  the 
;,  nearly 
piemen  t 
:e  J.34X 


1: 


isher,  is 
rexas — 
ts  prey, 
banks, 
ti-bones 


Comal 
ed-oval 

rather 
le  sizes 


CopyHght  iSSb. 


PLATE  VI. 


SWAULOW-TAII.ED    KITE   AND   NKST. 


{ElaHoiiie.t  fflrficatus,) 


Page  ItiS. 


NORTH  AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


.TE  VI. 


209 


V  ^,Y--~, 


;e  ion. 


of  five  eggs  are  given  as  1. 00X.7 1,  .94X.69,  .99X.69,  i.oox.71,  i.oox.75, 
respectively. 

Mr.  Norris  has  a  set  of  four  eggs  taken  from  a  hole  in  the  bank  of 
a  river  in  Comal  county,  Texas,  May  25,  1878.  These  are  dull  white, 
and  measure  .92  x  .73,  .96  x  .72,  .92  x  .71,  and  .95  x  .70. 

392.    Campephilus  principalis    (Linn.)    [359.] 

Ivory-billed  Woodpecker. 

Hab.  Formerly  Southern  AtUintic  and  Gulf  States  and  Lower  Mississippi  Valley,  north  to  North  Car- 
olina, Eastern  Missouri,  Southern  Illinois  and  Indiana.  Now  restricted  and  only  locally  distributed  in  the 
Gulf  States  and  Lower  Mississippi  Valley. 

The  largest  of  our  North  American  Woodpeckers — in  fact  it  is  the 
prince  of  Woodpeckers.  Its  length  ranges  from  nineteen  to  twenty- 
one  inches.  *  The  adult  male  has  a  long  pointed  crest  of  scarlet,  the 
entire  crown  (with  its  elongated  feathers)  is  black;  the  bill  ivory- 
yellow  or  whitish.  This  bird  is  now  rare,  and  is  apparently  restricted 
to  the  extreme  Southern  States,  especially  those  bordering  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico.  It  is  of  a  wild  and  wary  disposition,  making  its  home  in  the 
dark,  swampy  woodlands.  The  dense  cypress  swamps  of  Florida  are 
at  present  one  of  its  favorite  haunts. 

A  set  of  three  eggs  of  this  species  is  in  the  cabinet  of  Captain  B. 
F.  Goss.  They  were  taken  in  Southern  Texas  in  May,  1885,  from  a 
hole  in  a  tree  about  forty  feet  from  the  ground  ;  the  cavity  was  exca- 
vated to  the  depth  of  nearly  two  feet,  and  was  large  enough  to  allow 
the  collector  to  insert  his  arm  and  take  out  the  eggs.  These  are  pyri- 
form  in  shape,  and  have  the  usual  gloss  of  woodpeckers'  eggs,  and 
measure,  respectively,  1.44x1.06,  1.45x1.06,  1.44x1.07. 

Mr.  W.  E.  D.  Scott  found  a  nest  of  this  species  in  Hillsboro  county, 
Florida,  March  17,  1887,  containing  a  young  bird,  one-third  grown. 
The  nest  cavity  was  dug  in  a  large  cypress  tree  in  the  midst  of  a  dense 
swamp,  and  was  forty-one  feet  from  the  ground ;  the  depth  of  the  cav- 
ity was  fourteen  inches.  Mr.  Scott  was  told  by  old  residents  the  bird 
was  once  very  common  in  that  region,  but  is  now  comparatively  rare 
and  shy.  The  day  the  nest  was  found  eleven  of  the  birds  were  counted 
in  the  swamp,  somf  times  four  or  five  were  in  sight  at  once.t 

393.     Dryobates  villosus    (Linn.)    [360.] 

Hairy  Woodpecker. 

Eastern  United  States,  except  South  Atlantic  and  Gulf  States. 

A  ragged-looking  black  and  white  species,  known  as  the  large 
"  Sapsucker,"  and  one  of  the  most  noisy  in  the  woods  during  the  breed- 

*  The  Imperial  Woodpecker,  C.  imperials  (Gould,)  measures  twenty-three  or  twenty-four  inches 
jn  length.  This  bird  is  found  in  Western  Mexico,  north  along  the  Sierre  Madre,  and  probably  has  not 
yet  been  observed  or  >.aken  within  our  limits,  but  is  likely  to  occur  at  any  time  within  the  United  States 
boundary. 

fAuk,  V,  p.  186 

16 


210 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


ing  season,  which  occurs  in  latter  part  of  April,  through  May  and  the 
early  part  of  June.  It  does  not  accept  the  society  of  other  species  like 
its  miniature,  the  little  *'  Sapsucker  " — Downy  Woodpecker,  and  always 
maintains  a  more  dignified  manner  than  this  species  when  hunting 
insects  in  the  trunks  of  trees. 

The  nest  cavity  is  commonly  dug  in  dead  or  partially  dead  tree- 
trunks,  on  the  outskirts  of  woods  or  those  in  orchards ;  the  distance 
from  the  ground  usually  ranges  from  ten  to  twenty  feet,  and  the  depth 
of  the  cavity  eight  to  fifteen  inches.  No  material  is  used  for  a  nest 
lining;  the  eggs  simply  rest  on  the  fine  chips  made  during  the  exca- 
vating. Four,  rarely  five,  glossy-white  eggs  are  deposited.  Five  spec- 
imens measure  .97X.70,  .98x70,  .94X.69,  i.oox.70,  i.oox.69.  The 
northern  form,  D.  v.  leucomelas  Bodd,  is  found  from  about  the  north- 
ern border  of  the  United  States  northward.  D.  v.  audubonh  Swainson 
is  the  race  of  the  Southern  United  States,  east  of  the  Plains. 

393<r.    Dryobates  villosus  harrisii    (Aud.)    [360^.] 


Hab. 
Mexico. 


Harris's  IVoodpeoker. 

Wtstern  United  States  from  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  the  Pacific,  south  to  the  Table  Lands  of 


Harris's  Woodpecker  is  exactly  like  D.  villosus^  except  that  it  has 
fewer  wing  spots;  the  coverts  and  tertials  are  plain  black,  the 
lower  parts  are  usually  white,  frequently  pure  white,  rarely  smoky- 
gray.  In  the  mountainous  regions  of  the  West  this  bird  is  quite 
common,  inhabiting  all  kinds  of  forests,  especially  those  of  che 
pine  regions  throughout  the  Sierra  Nevada  range,  from  Wash- 
ington Territory  southward  —  also  in  Arizona,  New  Mexico,  Col- 
orado, etc.  Four  eggs  taken  in  Socorro  county.  New  Mexico, 
exhibit  the  following  sizes:  .95X.67,  .98X.69,  .96X.70,  .97X.70. 
They  are  glossy-white.  These  were  taken  May  5,  1887,  from  a 
hole  in  an  oak  tree  forty  feet  from  the  ground.  In  all  respects  the 
nesting  and  eggs  are  similar  to  those  of  D.  villosus. 

Mr.  Norris  has  three  sets  of  the  eggs  of  this  bird,  two  taken  at 
Fort  Klamath,  Oregon,  May  10  and  19,  1888 ;  the  third  was  collected 
near  Salem,  Oregon,  May  12  ;  all  are  of  four  eggs  each.  The  last  set 
measures  i.oix.78,  1.02 x. 79,  .95X.76,  i.oix.76  respectively. 

394.    Dryobates  pubescens    (Linn.)    [361.] 

Doumy  'Woodpeokert 

Hab,    Northern  and  Eastern  North  America,  and  sporadically  the  western  portions — Colorado,  Utah, 
Nevada,  California,  etc. 

Commonly  called  the  Little  or  the  Lesser  '*  Sapsucker,"  but  this 
is  a  misnomer,  and  a  term  which  can  only  be  applied  with  any  propri- 
ety to  woodpeckers  of  the  genus  Sphyrapicus. 

This  is  perhaps  the  most  social  of  all  our  Woodpeckers,  and  one 


Lmjiaia..iiwm-i* 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


211 


zn  at 

|)llected 

St  set 


ado,  Utah, 


[ut  this 
jropri- 


id  one 


of  the  best  known.  It  seems  to  enjoy  the  company  of  other  birds,  es- 
pecially nuthatches,  titmice  and  wrens,  in  whose  society  it  is  gener- 
ally found,  searching  the  branches  of  low  trees  or  saplings,  the  hedges, 
the  brush  heaps  and  fences  for  insects  and  their  larvae.  It  is  fond  of 
drumming  on  the  stub  of  a  dead  limb  whose  center  is  hollow,  and 
whose  shell  is  hard  and  resonant.  Upon  such  places  it  will  drum  for 
an  hour  at  a  time,  now  and  then  stopping  to  listen  for  a  response  from 
its  mate  or  of  some  rival.  At  all  times  it  is  unsuspicious  of  man,  and 
when  engaged  in  excavating  the  cavity  for  its  nest  it  continues  its 
busy  chiseling,  unheeding  his  near  approach.  The  nest  is  construct- 
ed in  the  latter  part  of  April,  or  early  in  May,  and  is  excavated  in  the 
trunk  of  a  small  dead  tree,  often  in  the  dead  limb  of  an  apple  tree, 
in  a  post  or  rail  of  a  fence,  seldom  more  than  twenty  feet  from  the 
ground,  usually  between  ten  and  fifteen  feet. 

The  eggs  are  four  or  five,  rarely  six ;  they  are  pure  glossy- 
white,  and  nearly  elliptical  in  shape.  There  is  considerable  differ- 
ence in  the  size  of  the  eggs ;  a  set  of  four  measure,  respectively , 
.75X.62,  .77X.62,  .73x61,  .73 x. 62  ;  another  set,  containing  four,  .84 
x  .58,  .78  X  .59,  .83  X  .58,  .82  X  .56  ;  a  set  of  five,  .80  x  .57,  .85  x  .60,  .84  x 
.60,  .83  X  .62,  .84  X  .63. 

394<z.    Dryobates  pubescens  gairdnerii    (Aud.)    [361a.] 

Galrdner'a  'Woodpecker. 

Hab.    Western  United  States,  from  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  the  Pacific,  north  to  British  Columbia, 
outh  to  Nev;  Mexico. 

The  western  representative  or  counterpart  of  the  Downy  Wood- 
pecker of  the  East,  resembling  it  in  size,  general  habits,  etc.  In  many 
places  of  the  West  it  is  an  abundant  bird,  but  is  not  generally  so  com- 
mon as  the  Downy  is  in  the  Eastern  States.  Mr.  Norris  has  a  set  of 
five  eggs  of  this  Woodpecker,  collected  June  i,  1876,  near  vSanta  Cruz, 
California.  They  are  glossy- white,  and  measure  .81X.69,  .80X.58, 
.80X.59,  .77X.58,  .74X.55. 

395.    Dryobates  borealis    (Vieill)    [362.] 

Red-oookaded  'Woodpecker. 

Hab.  Southeastern  States,  north  regularly  to  North  Carolina,  irregularly  to  New  Jersey;  west  to 
Indian  Territory  and  Eastern  Texas. 

The  Red-cockaded  Woodpecker  has  a  restricted  distribution  in  the 
Southeastern  Atlantic  States,  and  is  found  regularly  as  far  north  as  the 
Carolinas,  westward  to  Indian  Territory  and  Eastern  Texas,  and  only 
irregularly  to  New  Jersey.  Audubon  speaks  of  it  in  his  day  as  being 
found  abundantly  from  Texas  to  New  Jersey,  and  as  far  inland  as 
Tennessee,  and  nowhere  more  numerous  than  in  the  pine  regions  of 
Florida,  Georgia  and  the  Carolinas.     He  found  these  birds  mated  in 


212 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


Florida  as  early  as  January,  and  engaged  in  preparing  a  breeding  place 
in  February.  The  nest,  he  states,  is  not  unfrequently  bored  in  a  de- 
cayed stump.  In  Georgia  and  other  localities  this  bird  excavates  a 
nesting  cavity  in  tall  pine  trees,  living  or  dead. 

The  eggs  are  said  to  range  from  four  to  six  in  number,  glossy- 
white  ;  size  .91  x  .68. 

396. 


Hab. 


Dryobates  scalaris    (Wagl.)    [363] 

Texan  Woodpecker. 

Southern  border  of  the  United  States,  from  Texas  to  Arizona  south  into  Mexico. 


This  bird  is  called  the  Ladder-backed  Woodpecker,  from  the  black 
and  white  cross-bars  on  the  back.  It  averages  larger  than  the  Downy, 
D.  pubescens.  Dr.  Merrill  found  it  a  common  resident  in  Southern 
Texas.  He  tates  that  in  its  habits  it  is  so  like  the  Downy  Wood- 
pecker that  there  is  little  to  be  said  about  it.  He  gives  the  average  size 
of  eighteen  eggs  as  .81  x  .64. 

Mr.  Norris  has  a  set  of  four  eggs  taken  in  Comal  county,  Texas, 
May  30,  1885.  The  nest  was  in  a  cavity  of  a  fence  rail.  The  eggs  are 
white  and  very  glossy ;  sizes  .82  x  .62,  .83  x  .60,  .84X  .62,  .8ox  .60. 

The  form  D.  s.  lucasanus  (Xantus),  belongs  to  the  southern  por- 
tion of  Lower  California. 

397.    Dryobates  nuttallii    (Gamb.)    [364.] 

„  ,.,     .  Nuttall's  Woodpecker. 

Hab.     California. 

The  habitat  of  Nuttall's  Woodpecker  is  restricted  to  the  limited 
area  of  the  State  of  California,  where  it  seems  to  be  confined  chiefly  to 
the  region  west  of  the  coast  range  and  southward  to  the  extreme  south- 
ern portion  of  the  State.  It  closely  resembles  the  Texan  Woodpecker, 
and  may  be  easily  recognized  from  the  latter  by  the  white  or  dull  buflf 
nasal  tufts  and  the  markings  of  the  tail  feathers.  The  bird  is  of  the 
same  size  as  the  Downy  Woodpecker  of  the  Eastern  States,  and  has 
many  of  its  characteristics,  familiarly  searching  the  orchards,  stumps 
of  trees  and  fence  rails  for  insects  and  their  larvae.  Mr.  Walter  E. 
Bryant  found  a  nest  of  this  species  on  Mt.  Diablo,  California,  May  29, 
1880.  It  was  in  a  cavity  picked  between  the  body  and  the  bark  of  an 
oak  stump,  fifteen  feet  from  the  ground.  The  opening  was  very  difii- 
cult  to  find.  The  male  bird  was  sitting,  and  flew  from  the  stump  as 
Mr.  Bryant  approached,  and  he  was  obliged  to  wait  for  its  return  before 
the  entrance  could  be  located.  The  cavity  was  about  twelve  inches 
deep  and  four  inches  inside  diameter ;  diameter  of  the  entrance  was 
about  one  inch  and  a  half.    The  nest  contained  four  glistening,  white 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


213 


por- 


eggs ;  their  sizes  being  as  follows :     24x17.5,  23  x  17,  23  x  17.5,  23.5  x 
.17  millimeters.* 

Mr.  B.  T.  Gault  on  April  23,  1883,  obtained  a  set  of  six  eggs  of 
this  species  from  a  cavity  in  the  main  trunk  of  an  elder  bush  or  tree  in 
the  San  Bernardino  Valley.  Notwithstanding  various  loud  demonstra- 
tions— tapping  on  the  tree  trunk  and  chopping  into  the  cavity  with  a 
hatchet  the  female  bird  did  not  leave  the  nest,  and  when  taken  out  ap- 
peared stupefied.  The  nest  was  about  five  and  a  half  feet  from  the 
ground,  was  very  near  a  foot  deep  and  about  five  inches  wide ;  the 
entrance  was  a  little  larger  than  a  silver  half  dollar.  The  eggs  were 
pretty  well  advanced  in  incubation  ;  their  sizes  are  .85  x  .66,  .87  x  .65, 
<.82x.64,  .85X.66,  .85X.66,  .84X.64. t    They  are  of  a  pearly  white. 

398.  Dryobates  arizonsB    (Hargitt)    [365.] 

ArlBona  'Woodpecker.  I 

Hab.    Southern  Arizona  and  adjacent  portion  of  northwestern  Mexico. 

Mr.  F.  Stephens  met  with  this  species  in  the  Santa  Rita  and 
Chiricahua  Mountains  in  Southern  Arizona.  Although  the  birds  were 
not  uncommon  he  did  not  succeed  in  obtaining  the  eggs.  A  nest  was 
found  May  16  in  a  sycamore  tree  which  contained  young. 

Mr.  W.  E.  O.  Scott  found  this  Woodpecker  in  the  oak  region  of  the 
San  Pedro  slope  of  the  Cataline  Mountains  where,  except  in  midwinter, 
it  is  not  uncommon.  Mr.  Brown  found  it  common  on  the  Santa  Rita 
Mountains. 

Mr.  Scott  rarely  met  with  more  than  two  in  company ;  frequently  in 
the  fall  a  party  was  seen  composed  of  Arizona  Jays,  California  Wood- 
peckers, various  Titmice  and  Warblers,  and  a  pair  of  Strickland's 
Woodpeckers.  They  appeared  mated  late  in  January  or  early  in  Feb- 
ruary. A  nest  containing  three  young,  found  May  27,  was  in  an  oak 
about  ten  feet  from  the  ground ;  it  was  much  like  that  of  the  Hairy 
Woodpecker,  but  the  opening  was  a  little  smaller.  I  have  no  descrip- 
tion of  the  eggs  of  this  species,  but  they  probably  do  not  differ  from 
those  of  other  Woodpeckers. 

399.  Xenopicus  albolarvatus    (Cass.)    [366.] 

IVhite-headed  'Woodpecker. 

Hab.  Pacific  coast  region,  including  eastern  and  western  slopes  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  Mountains, 
from  Washington  Territory  to  Southern  California. 

This  peculiarly-colored  species  is  common  in  the  pine  regions  of 
Washington  Territory,  Oregon  and  California.     Dr.  James  C.  Merrill, 

*.94x  .89,  .91 X  .67,  .91  x  .69,  .93  x  .67. 

t  Bull.  No.  2.     Ridgway  Ornithological  Club,  April,  18«7:  Chicago,  111.,  pp.  78-81. 

X  No.  398,  A.  O.  U.  Check  List,  is  Dryobatts  stricklandi  Malh,  but  according  to  Mr.  E.  Hargitt,  in  the 
"Ibis"  for  April.  1886,  Z).  stricklandi  from  Mexico  is  specifically  distinct  from  the  Arizona  Woodpecker, 
which  he  names  Picus  arizonoe. 


T|y^,'OTHJJWWi!WW—  "   " 


•• 


214 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


Assistant  Surgeon,  U.  S.  Army,  states  that  this  bird  was  first  observed 
in  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Klamath,  Oregon,  November  9 ;  by  December 
it  became  rather  abundant,  and  so  continued  until  the  latter  part  of  Feb- 
ruary, but  after  the  middle  of  March  none  were  seen.  Careful  search 
during  the  breeding  season  failed  to  reveal  its  presence  near  the  Fort, 
nor  was  it  found  in  the  higher  mountains  in  July  and  August.  Dr. 
Merrill  rarely  heard  this  Woodpecker  hammer,  and  even  tapping  is 
rather  unusual  with  it.  The  bird  uses  its  bill  as  a  crowbar  rather  than 
a  hammer,  prying  oflf  the  successive  scales  and  layers  of  bark  in  a  very 
characteristic  way,  which  explains  the  fact  of  its  being  a  quiet  worker. 
As  a  result  of  the  great  abundance  of  food  which  these  birds  obtained, 
the  specimens  killed  were  loaded  with  fat — scarcely  surpassed  in  this 
respect  by  some  Sandpipers  in  autumn.* 

Capt.  B.  F.  Goss  has  a  set  of  three  eggs  of  this  species,  taken 
May  17,  1882,  near  Crockers,  California.  The  nest  cavity  was  in  a 
small  rotten  stub,  thirteen  feet  from  the  ground.  The  eggs  are  pure 
crystalline  white,  exhibiting  the  following  sizes :  .96X.75,  .98X.74, 
.98  X.  77.  Set  No.  253  (oological  collection  of  Walter  E.  Bryant),  con- 
sisting of  four  eggs,  was  taken  at  Blue  Canon,  Cal.,  by  C.  A.  Allen, 
May  27,  1879.  The  nest  was  in  an  excavation  of  a  pine  stump,  five 
feet  from  the  ground.  The  eggs  measure  respectively  23x17.5,  23.5  x 
18.5,  24x18,  24xi8.5mm.t  Set  No.  815  in  Mr.  Bryant's  coll'^ction 
was  taken  at  Big  Trees,  Cal.,  by  Chas.  W.  Knox.  This  set  contains 
five  eggs ;  they  were  taken  from  a  hole  in  a  dead  pine  stump,  eight 
feet  from  the  ground.  Their  sizes  are:  25x19,  23.5x18.5,  25x19, 
24  X  19,  24  X  19.5  mm.| 

400.    Picoides  arcticus    (Swains.)    [367.] 

Arotio  Three-toed  Woodpecker. 

Hab.  Northern  North  America,  south  to  northern  border  of  the  United  States,  and  farther  on  high 
mountain  ranges.     In  the  mountains  of  the  West  (Sierra  Nevada,  etc.,)  south  to  about  39°,  whel-e  it  breeds. 

The  Black-backed  Three-toed  Woodpecker  has  an  extended  dis- 
tribution from  the  Pacific  to  the  Atlantic,  and  from  the  northern  bor- 
der of  the  United  States  northward  to  the  Arctic  regions.  Its  favorite 
haunts  are  the  pine  woods  of  mountainous  country.  In  some  portions 
of  Northern  New  England  it  is  a  rare  summer  resident.  Audubon 
says  that  it  occurs  in  Northern  Massachusetts  and  in  all  portions  of 
Maine  covered  by  tall  trees,  where  it  resides.  It  is  found  as 'far  south 
as  Northern  New  York,  where  Dr.  Bachman  was  of  the  opinion  that  it 
nested.     Dr.  Merriam  states  that  this  bird  is  not  an  uncommon  resi- 


*Auk,  V,  p.  253. 

t  .91 X  .69,  .98  X  .73,  .94  x  .71,  .94  x  .73. 

t  .98  X  .75,  .93  X  .73,  .98  x  .75,  .94  x  .75,  .94  x  .77. 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


216 


States. 


dent  in  those  portions  of  Lewis  county,  New  York,  which  pertain  to 
the  Canadian  fauna ;  for  they  are  found  both  in  the  Adirondack  region 
and  in  the  coniferous  forests  bordering  Big  Alder  and  Fish  Creeks,  in 
the  Tug  Hill  range.  Dr.  J.  G.  Cooper  found  this  Woodpecker  quite 
numerous  in  September,  in  the  vicinity  of  Lake  Tahoe  and  the  sum- 
mits of  the  Sierra  Nevada,  above  an  altitude  of  6,000  feet.  Dr.  Merrill 
mentions  it  as  a  rather  common  resident  in  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Kla- 
math, Oregon;  in  summer  more  common  in  the  mountains.  Several 
nests  were  found  early  in  July,  but  with  young,  fledged.  The  excava- 
tions were  in  dead  young  pines,  not  more  than  five  or  six  feet  from  the 
ground,  in  this  respect  differing  from  those  of  the  other  Woodpeckers 
found  there,  all  of  which,  so  far  as  he  had  observed,  make  their  holes 
at  a  greater  height.  The  eggs  range  from  four  to  six  in  number,  pure 
ivory-white ;  average  size,  .95  x  .71. 

401.  Picoides  americanus    Brehm.    [368.] 

American  Three-toed  Woodpecker. 

Hab.     Northern  North  America  east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  south  in  winter  to  tke  Northern  United 

The  Banded  or  Ladder-backed  Three-toed  Woodpecker  is  found 
in  the  spruce  and  fir  regions  of  Northern  North  America.  It  is  often 
found  associated  with  the  last  species,  /-".  arcticus^  whose  characteristics 
are  similar,  and  whose  nesting  is  identical. 

Dr.  C.  Hart  Merriam  met  with  a  pair  of  these  birds  nesting  in 
Northern  New  York,  June  4,  1878.  The  cavity,  which  contained  four 
nearly  fresh  eggs,  was  in  a  spruce  tree  about  eight  feet  from  the 
ground  ;  the  entrance  of  the  hole  was  an  inch  and  a  half  in  diameter, 
and  the  cavity  ten  inches  deep.  The  eggs  are  described  as  cream- 
white,  and  of  a  texture  like  those  of  other  Woodpeckers ;  they  are 
strongly  ovate  in  outline,  and  measure  respectively,  23.8x17.2,  23.6  x 
17.8,  23.8  X  17.9,  23  X  17.8  millimeters.''' 

Dr.  Merriam  says  that  this  species  is  found  along  the  eastern 
border  of  Lewis  county,  in  the  Adirondack  region,  where  it  is  a  resi- 
dent species,  much  less  common,  however,  than  its  congener,  the 
Black-backed  Woodpecker,  Picoides  arcticus, 

Picoides  americatnis  dorsahs  Baird,  belongs  to  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tain region  of  the  United  States,  and  southward  into  Mexico.  P.  a.  alas- 
censis  Nelson,  is  from  Alaska  and  Northern  British  America. 

402.  Sphyrapicus  varius    (Linn.)    [369.] 

YeUow-liellied  Sapaucker. 

Hab.  Northern  and  Eastern  North  America,  south  in  winter  to  the  West  Indies,  Mexico  and  Gaute- 
mala. 

The  Yellow-bellied  Woodpecker  is   one  of  the  most   singularly 

■!>.94x  .68,  .83 X  .70,  .94  x  .71,  MX  x  .70.    Bull.  Nutt.  Club,  III,  200. 


i-mipssr 


216 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OP 


marked  and  most  attractive  birds  of  the  family.  It  breeds  from  the 
northern  United  States  northward.  A  common  bird  in  most  of  its 
United  States  range.  The  Woodpeckers  of  this  genus  are  the  only 
ones  to  which  the  term  "  Sapsucker  "  can  with  any  propriety  be  ap- 
plied. They  lack  the  long  extensile  tongue  which  enables  the  other 
species  to  probe  the  winding  galleries  of  wood-eating  larvae,  and  they 
are  known  to  feed  largely  upon  the  green  inner  bark  of  trees.  In  some 
localities  this  species  is  said  to  destroy  many  trees  by  stripping  oflF 
bark  and  girdling  them  with  holes  for  the  sap. 

The  following  details  are  from  Mr.  William  Brewster's  account  of 
this  bird's  nesting  habits  in  New  England.  He  states  that  throughout 
the  White  Mountains  of  new  Hampshire,  and  in  most  sections  of 
Northern  Maine,  the  Yellow-bellied  Woodpeckers  outnumber  all  the 
other  species  in  the  summer  season.  Their  favorite  nesting  sites  are 
large,  dead  birches,  and  a  decided  preference  is  manifested  for  the 
vicinity  of  water,  though  some  nests  occur  in  the  interior  woods.  The 
average  height  of  the  excavation  from  the  ground  is  about  forty  feet. 
In  nearly  every  tree  examined  by  Mr.  Brewster,  which  contained  a 
nest,  there  were  several  newly-finished  cavities,  and  others  made  in 
previous  years,  but  in  no  case  was  more  than  one  of  the  excavations 
inhabited.  Many  of  the  nests  were  gourd-like  in  shape,  with  the  sides 
very  smoothly  and  evenly  chiseled  ;  the  average  depth  was  about  four- 
teen inches,  by  five  in  diameter  at  the  widest  point,  while  the  diameter 
of  the  exterior  hole  varied  from  1.25  to  1.60  inches.  The  labors  of  ex- 
cavating the  nest  and  those  of  incubation  are  shared  alternately  by  both 
sexes.  Mr.  Brewster  gives  the  eggs  as  numbering  from  five  to  seven  in  a 
set,  and  varying  considerably  in  shape,  some  being  oblong,  others  de- 
cidedly elliptical.  They  are  pure  white  in  color,  and  there  is  much  less 
of  that  fine  polish  than  in  eggs  of  the  other  species  of  Woodpeckers  he 
had  examined.     The  size  is  given  as  .85  x  .60.  * 

402a. 


Hab. 


Sphyraplcus  varius  nuchalis    Baird.    [369a.] 

Red-naped  Sapsnokcr. 

Rocky  Mountain  region,  west  to  the  Sierra  Nevada  and  Cascade  ranges;  south  into  Mexico. 


Capt.  Charles  E.  Bendire,  U.  S.  A.,  met  with  this  race  of  ^.  varius 
sparingly  distributed  in  various  portions  of  the  Blue  Mountains  of 
Oregon,  Washington  Territory  and  Idaho,  and  as  far  west  as  the  east- 
ern slope  of  the  Cascade  Range  in  Southern  Oregon,  in  the  Klamath 
Lake  region,  where  it  was  replaced  by  Sphyrapicus  ruber,  the  two 
species  overlapping  each  other,  but  not  intergrading,  and  remaining 
perfectly  distinct.     He  found  it  breeding  in  June,  nesting  in  cavities  of 

•  Bull.  Nutt.  Club.  1,  pp.  63-70. 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


217 


s 


f 


I 


live  aspen  trees.  Dr.  James  C.  Merrill  found  a  nest  of  this  bird  in  a 
cavity  of  a  dead  young  cottonwood,  in  Montana,  June  12.  The  height 
of  the  hole  from  the  ground  was  twenty-five  feet,  and  near  the  top  of 
the  same  tree  were  three  similar  holes,  probably  used  by  the  same  birds 
in  previous  years.  Mr.  Dennis  Gale,  an  enthusiastic  naturalist,  has 
given  Capt.  Bendire  the  results  of  his  observations  on  the  nesting  of 
this  Woodpecker  in  the  mountains  of  Colorado.  According  to  him,  its 
nesting  sites  are  invariably  in  living  aspen  trees,  along  the  gulches 
and  hillsides,  and  the  birds  are  seldom  found  above  an  altitude  of  9000 
or  much  below  8000  feet.  In  excavating  the  cavity  the  female  bird 
does  the  work  from  begirming  to  end,  and  completes  it  in  from  six  to 
ten  days.  The  height  of  the  nesting  place  from  the  ground  varies  from 
five  to  thirty  feet. 

The  eggs  are  four  or  five,  sometimes  less  in  number.  Fresh  eggs 
may  be  found  in  Colorado  from  June  i  to  15,  and  should  the  first  set  be 
taken,  a  second  may  generally  be  found  in  from  ten  to  .fifteen  days 
later ;  and  as  a  rule,  the  second  nesting-site  will  not  be  a  great  distance 
from  the  first  one.  Several  nests  of  this  species  may  be  found  within 
a  short  distance  of  one  another  in  the  same  aspen  grove.  The  cavities 
are  roomy  and  ::^ourd-shaped.  Capt.  Bendire  gives  the  measurements 
of  two  sets  of  four  eggs  each,  taken  by  Mr.  Gale.  The  first  set,  col- 
lected June,  1884,  measure  as  follows :  .91  x  .67,  . 90  x  68,  .89  x  68,  .88  x 
.64;  second  set  taken  June  i,  1887,  .90X.69,  .90X.69,  .90X.68,  .89X 
65.  A  set  of  three  eggs  taken  by  himself  in  the  Blue  Mountains,  Grant 
county,  Oregon,  exhibit  the  following  sizes:  .90X.65,  90x64,  88x66. 
The  average  measurement  is  given  as  .88  x  .66.  The  eggs  are  pure 
white  after  blowing,  moderately  glossy  or  lustrous,  and  generally  ovate 
in  shape.  *  The  set  of  five  taken  by  Dr.  Merrill  in  Montana  measure 
.91x72,  .90X.73,  .93X.71,  .93X.73,  .91X.73,  respectively. 


403.    Sphyrapicus  ruber    (Gmel.)    [369^5.] 

Red-breaated  Sapsnoker. 

Hab.     Pacific  coast  region,  from  California  northward  into  Alaska. 

This  species  is  confined  to  the  Pacific  coast  region,  occurring  as 
far  east  as  the  eastern  slopes  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  Mountains  in  Cen- 
tral and  Northern  California ;  in  the  Cascade  Mountains  of  Oregon  and 
Washington  Territory,  thence  northward  through  British  Columbia 
into  Alaska:  A  handsome  bird,  with  the  whole  head,  neck  and  breast 
carmine-red  in  both  sexes. 

Captain  Bendire  states  that  this  bird  is  an  abundant  summer  resi- 

<■  See  Notes  on  the  Habits,  Nests,  and  Eggs  of  the  Genus  Spkyrapicut  Baird.  By  Capt.  Charles  E. 
Bendire :    In  The  Auk,  V,  pp.  225-240. 


218 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


dent  of  the  aspen  groves  on  the  mountains  in  the  southwestern  por- 
tion of  Oregon — the  region  about  Fort  Klamath,  etc.  According  to 
his  observations  its  nesting  is  very  similar  to  S.  v.  nuchalis — breeding 
in  healthy  live  aspen  trees,  making  a  gourd-shaped  nest  cavity  from 
six  to  ten  inches  deep,  four  or  five  inches  wide  at  the  bottom  and  three 
inches  near  the  top.  It  is  situated  from  fifteen  to  twenty-five  feet  from 
the  ground,  and  usually  excavated  below  the  first  limb  of  the  tree.  A 
sure  sign  of  a  nest  was  the  chips  scattered  about  the  base  of  the  tree. 
Five  or  six  eggs  are  laid,  and  fresh  eggs  may  be  looked  for  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Fort  Klamath  from  May  20  to  June  5.  Captain  Ben- 
dire  took  the  first  set  of  eggs  May  23,  1883,  and  he  has  taken  nearly 
fresh  eggs  as  late  as  June  13.  When  blown  the  eggs  are  of  a  pure  del- 
icate white,  the  shell  showing  a  moderate  amount  of  lustre.  There  is 
considerable  variation  in  their  shape,  running  through  all  the  differ- 
ent ovates  to  an  elongate-ovate.  The  average  measurements  of  sixty 
specimens  are  .94X.68;  the  largest  egg  i.oox.70;  the  smallest  .86 x 
.78.  A  set  of  five  eggs  is  in  Mr.  Norris'  collection,  taken  with  the 
female  bird,  near  Salem,  Oregon,  April  13,  1888,  from  a  cavity  in  a 
Cottonwood,  twenty-five  feet  from  the  ground.  They  measure  i.oox 
.73,  .91X.71,  .94X.70,  .90X.71,  .90x71. 

404.    Sphyraplcus  thyroideus    (Cass.)    [370.] 

WlUlamion'a  Sapsuoker. 

Hab.     Western  United  States,  from  and  inclusive  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  the  Pacific. 

This  singular  representative  of  the  genus  Sphyrapicus^  has  a  dis- 
tribution extending  from  the  eastern  slopes  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  to 
the  Pacific  coast  in  Oregon  and  California.  The  male  and  female  of 
this  species  are  so  different  in  coloration  that  they  were  for  a  long  time 
considered  separate  species.  Regions  of  coniferous  trees  seem  to  be 
the  favorite  haunts  of  Williamson's  Woodpecker.  Dr.  Merrill  notes  it 
as  not  an  uncommon  resident  in  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Klamath,  Oregon, 
but  shy  and  very  suspicious.  Two  nests  containing  young  were  found 
June  20  in  large  dead  pines ;  each  were  at  a  height  of  about  sixty 
feet,  and  inaccessible.  Mr.  Dennis  Gale,  who  has  given  Capt.  Bendire 
his  observations  on  the  habits  of  this  species  in  the  mountains  of  Col- 
orado, says  that  ;he  birds  are  as  often  met  with  in  moderately  thick 
woods  as  in  more  open  clearings.  The  nesting  sites  are  excavated  in 
the  trunks  of  pine  trees,  at  heights  ranging  from  five  to  sixty  feet  or 
more. 

Fresli  eggs  may  be  looked  for,  according  to  altitude,  from  May 
20  to  June  15.  At  Fort  Klamath,  Capt.  Bendire  took  the  first  set  of 
eggs  June  3,  1883.     Five  or  six  are  laid.     They  are  pure  white,  a  trifle 


1 


NORTH  AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


219 


less  lustrous  than  those  of  5.  ruber,  a  little  more  elongated  and  pointed 
in  shape,  some  approaching  a  distinct  ovate-pyriform  or  pear  shape,  a 
characteristic  not  apparently  found  in  the  eggs  of  other  species  of  the 
same  genus.  Capt.  Bendire  gives  the  average  size  of  seventeen  speci- 
mens as  .97  X  .67 ;  the  largest,  1.02  x  .68 ;  the  smallest,  .94  x  .67. 

405.    CeophloBus  pileatus    (Linn.)    [371.] 

Plleated  \i^oodpeoker. 

Hab.     Entire  North  America  in  heavily-wooded  districts. 

Next  in  size  to  the  Ivory-billed  species  is  the  Pileated  Wood- 
pecker, commonly  called  Logcock.  It  was  formerly  common  to  the 
whole  wooded  region  of  North  America,  but  is  now  rare  or  absent  in 
the  thickly  settled  portions  of  the  Eastern  States.  In  southern  dis- 
tricts, midst  timbered  swamps  and  heavy  secluded  woods  it  is  still 
abundant.  The  nesting  places  are  excavated  usually  in  the  main 
trunks  of  high  trees,  such  as  oaks,  sycamores,  elms,  pines,  etc.  The 
height  of  the  burrow  from  the  grouud  ranges  from  twenty  to  eighty 
feet.  If  inhabited,  and  the  bird  is  at  home,  a  rap  upon  the  trunk  of  the 
tree  will  generally  bring  this  species  to  the  entrance  of  the  excavation. 
The  eggs  are  from  four  to  six  in  number.  A  set  of  five  eggs  in  the 
collection  of  Mr.  Norris,  taken  April  6, 1887,  in  Lee  co.,  Texas,  exhibit 
the  following  measurements:  1.27X.95,  1.33X.96,  1.29X.97,  1.29 x. 98, 
1.29  x  .96.     They  are  pure  white  and  very  glossy. 

406.    Melanerpes  erythroi  ^phalus    (Linn.)    [375.] 

Red-headed  \     lodpeoker. 

Hab.  Eastern  United  States  and  British  Prov^  s  west  to  le  Rocky  Mountains,  occasionally 
farther.     Rare  or  casual  east  of  Hudson  River. 

One  of  the  most  familiar  birds  in  Eastern  United  States.  It  is 
found  almost  everywhere — in  deep  forests  and  open  woods,  in  groves, 
orchards  and  solitary  trees  in  fields,  or  along  the  roadside,  and  on  the 
open  prairies.  A  bird  of  manifold  tricks  and  manners — some  are 
commendable,  and  some  are  not.  It  is  known  to  rob  and  demolish  the 
nests  of  the  Cliff  Swallows;  oftentimes  whole  colonies  of  these  nests 
are  destroyed  by  this  Woodpecker.  It  seems  to  have  considerable  fore- 
sight in  "  looking  out  for  a  rainy  day  ahead"  by  storing  grasshoppers, 
acorns  and  beech  nuts  in  the  cracks  and  crevices  of  posts,  in  the  cavi- 
ties of  partially  decayed  trees,  and  under  patches  of  raised  bark.  Ber- 
ries and  various  fruits  are  likewise  a  portion  of  its  food.  A  cavity  for 
the  nest  is  dug  in  the  decayed  trunk  of  any  kind  of  a  tree  of  sufficient 
thickness,  and  in  almost  any  situation.  Telegraph  poles  are  often 
resorted  to.  On  the  open,  treeless  prairies  it  has  been  known  to  nest 
in  the  angle  formed  by  the  shares  of  an  upturned  plow,  and  necessity 
often  compels  this  bird  to  make  its  nest  under  the  roofs  or  in  any 


I' 


220 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


dark  hole  it  may  find  on  the  prairie  farms.  The  eggs  are  five  or  six 
in  number ;  when  fresh  and  before  blowing,  like  those  of  all  Wood- 
peckers, show  the  yolk  through  the  translucent  shell,  which  gives  them 
a  beautiful  pinkish  appearance.  After  blowing  they  are  of  a  clear, 
glossy-white.    The  average  size  is  .99  x  .78. 

407.    Melanerpes  formlcivorus  bairdi    Ridgw.    [377.] 

Callforniau  TVoodpeoker. 

Hab.  Northern  Mexico  and  Northern  Lower  California;  Western  Texas  to  California,  north  along  the 
Pacific  coast  to  British  Columbia. 

This  handsome  Woodpecker  is  common  along  the  Pacific  coast 
region,  as  in  California,  Oregon  and  in  Washington  Territory.  It  is 
said  that  this  species  in  California  has  the  habit  of  digging  small 
holes  in  the  trunks  of  trees,  in  which  it  stores  acorns  for  its  winter 
food.  Mr.  W.  H.  Henshaw  met  with  it  in  the  Rocky  Mountain  region 
of  New  Mexico,  near  Santa  Fe,  where  it  frequented  the  small  oak 
groves.  Mr.  W.  E.  D.  Scoti:  states  that  this  bird  is  a  common  resident 
of  the  Pinal  and  the  Catalina  Mountains  of  Arizona,  both  in  pine  and 
oak  regions  as  low  as  4,000  feet.  July  30,  1884,  a  nest  containing  three 
half-grown  young  was  found ;  it  was  in  a  natural  cavity  of  a  sycamore 
tree  fifty  feet  from  the  ground.  A  set  of  five  eggs  of  this  species  is  in 
Mr.  Norris'  collection;  they  were  taken  April  30,  1880,  near  Shasta, 
California.  They  are  white  and  very  glossy  ;  sizes  1.05  x8o,  i.iox  .']']y 
1.05X.76,  1.06X.82,  i.o6x.8i.  Mr.  Bryant  has  a  set  of  six  eggs  col- 
lected by  Capt.  Bendire  near  Camp  Harney,  Oregon,  May  13,  1878. 
Their  sizes  are  29.5x23,  30.5x21.5,  30x21.5,  27.5x21,  29.5x21.5,  30X 
22  m"'^..*  A  set  of  four  eggs  taken  by  Mr.  Bryant  near  Altaville,  Cal- 
ifornia, June,  1885,  exhibit  the  following  dimensions  :  27  x  19,  24  x  18.5, 
25.5  X  19,  24  X  18.5  mm.f  These  were  found  in  a  nest  on  the  under  side 
of  a  limb  of  a  live  oak,  ten  feet  from  the  ground. 

408.    Melanerpes  torquatus    (Wils.)    [376.] 

Xtetvis's  'Woodpecker. 

Hab.     Western  United  States,  from  the  Ulack  Hills  and  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  the  Pacific  coast. 

In  most  of  the  wooded,  mountainous  regions  of  the  West,  from  the 
Rocky  Mountains  to  the  Pacific,  Lewis's  Woodpecker  is  a  common  bird. 
About  Fort  Klamath,  Oregon,  Dr.  Merrill  notes  it  as  rather  uncommon 
during  the  summer,  nesting  usually  near  the  tops  of  tall  dead  pines, 
especially  isolated  ones,  from  which  they  can  obtain  a  good  view  of 
passing  insects,  which  they  will  often  follow  to  a  considerable  distance. 
The  general  habits  of  tliis  species  are  similar  to  those  of  the  Red-headed 
Woodpecker.     It  is  found  in  greater  or  less  abundance  in  the  pine  and 

■fl.16x.87,  1.20X.85,  1.18x.85,  1.08x  .83,  l.lOx  .85,  l.lSx  .87. 
1 1.06  X  .75,  04  X  .78, 1 .00  X  .75,  .94  x  .71. 


NORTH  AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


221 


■ 


oak  districts  of  New  Mexico,  Arizona,  California,  Colorado,  etc.,  where 
the  nests  are  burrowed,  preferredly  in  dead  trees,  at  all  heights  from 
the  ground.  The  eggs  are  four  to  six  in  number,  and,  like  all  those  of 
the  Woodpeckers,  are  white  and  glossy.  Mr.  Norris  has  a  set  of  five 
eggs  of  this  species  in  his  collection  taken  near  Yuma,  Arizona,  April 
27,  1882.    They  measure,  1. 00  X.8 1,  i.oix.81,  .95X.81,  .99X.84,  .99X.82. 

409.    Melanerpes  carolinus  (Linn.)    [372.] 


Hab. 


Red-bellied  TVoodpeoker. 

Eastern  United  States,  west  to  the  Rocky  Mountains,  south  to  Florida  and  Central  Texas. 


This  Woodpecker  is  regarded  by  some  as  the  most  beautiful  of  the 
smaller  species  of  its  tribe,  and  is  known  to  many  as  the  "Zebra  Bird," 
from  the  back  and  wings  being  closely  banded  with  black  and  white ; 
the  whole  crown  and  nape  are  scarlet  in  the  male,  partly  .so  in  the 
female.  Under  parts  grayish,  mixed  with  yellowish-white,  reddening 
on  the  belly.  A  bird  generally  of  retired  habits,  seeking  the  deepest 
and  most  unfrequented  forests  to  breed.  When  engaged  in  hammering 
for  insects  it  frequently  emits  a  short,  singular  note,  which  Wilson  likens 
to  the  bark  of  a  small  dog.  The  note  is  repeated  twice,  and  resembles 
the  hoarse  utterance  of  the  syllables  chow,  choxv. 

Prof.  D.  E.  Lantz  states  that  this  species  in  the  vicinity  of  Man- 
hattan, Kansas,  exhibits  the  same  familiarity  as  shown  by  the  Flicker, 
the  Red-headed  and  Downy  W^oodpeckers.  About  a  dozen  nests  were 
observed,  the  excavations  ranging  usually  less  than  twenty  feet  from 
the  ground.  One  nest  in  a  burrow  of  a  large  dead  limb  of  an  elm  tree 
was  found  May  12,  and  contained  five  eggs.  The  earliest  date  for  a  full 
set  was  May  10.  The  birds  were  very  much  attached  to  their  nests, 
so  much  so  that  in  several  cases  it  was  necessary  to  remove  them  with 
the  hand  before  the  eggs  could  be  secured.  The  eggs  being  taken,  they 
almost  immediately  begin  excavating  another  nest  cavity  for  the  second 
set,  always  in  the  vicinity  of  the  first  nest,  often  in  the  same  tree. 

In  Ohio  this  bird  is  a  common  resident.  Breeds  in  May.  Four  to 
six  glossy-white  eggs  are  laid,  varying  in  length  from  .']^  to  i.oo  by  .67 
to  .79  in  breadth.  Six  eggs  taken  in  Franklin  county,  Ohio,  measure, 
i.oox.77,  .98X.78,  1.00X.78,  .99X.74,  i.oox.76,  i.oox.74. 

410.    Melanerpes  aurifrons  (Wagl.)    [373.]       .;...p  . 


Hab. 


Golden-foonted  \Foodpeoker. 

Southern  Texas  and  Northeastern  Mexico. 


Dr.  James  C.  Merrill  records  this  species  as  abundant  on  the  Lower 
Rio  Grande  in  Texas,  and  Mr.  George  B.Sennett  found  it  very  common 
at  Lomita,  and  as  bold  and  noisy  as  the  Red-headed  Woodpecker  of  the 
North.    Although  breeding  abundantly,  the  eggs  were  difficult  to  ob- 


222 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


tain,  as  the  nesting  cavities  -were  often  situated  in  the  heart  of  lark's 
hard-wood  trees,  and  not  very  accessible.  From  four  to  six  highly 
polished  white  eggs  are  laid.  Mr.  Sennett  took  the  first  set  of  eggs 
April  17,  and  a  clutch  of  five  fresh  ones  was  taken  May  ist.  A  set  of 
three  eggs  is  in  Mr.  Norris'  cabinet  which  was  taken  in  Comal  county. 
Texas,  April  21,  1885;  they  measure  i.oox.y^,  1.04X.75,  and  1.03X.75, 
A  set  of  five  eggs  in  my  collection,  taken  near  the  town  of  Camargo, 
Mexico,  June  16,  1888,  exhibit  the  following  sizes:  .94X.75,  i.oox.76, 
.98X.73,  1.04X.74,  1.02 X. 74.  The  nest-cavity  was  in  a  broken  stub  of 
a  mesquite  tree,  about  twelve  feet  from  the  ground. 

411.    Melanerpes  uropygialis  (Baird).    [374.] 

Olla  Woodpaoker. 

Hab.    Southern  Arizona,  Southeastern  portion  of  California,  Lower  California  and  Western  Mexico. 

This  species  was  first  discovered  by  Dr.  Kennerly  in  his  route 
along  the  35th  parallel,  and  described  by  Professor  Baird  in  1854.  ^r- 
Hermann  found  it  abundant  along  the  Gila  River  among  the  mesquite 
trees  and  giant  cactus.  He  met  with  it  in  California  in  considerable 
numbers  on  the  banks  of  the  Colorado.  Mr.  G.  Frean  Morcom,  in  his 
valuable  paper  on  the  birds  of  Southern  California  and  Southwestern 
Arizona,*  notes  this  as  one  of  the  species  found  by  Mr.  F.  Stephens  at 
Yuma,  Arizona,  where  it  was  not  common.  A  nest  was  found  May  4, 
excavated  in  a  growing  willow  on  the  edge  of  a  slough.  It  contained 
three  eggs,  incubation  commenced.  In  the  region  about  Tucson,  Ari- 
zona, Mr.  W.  E.  D.  Scott  states  that  it  is  a  common  resident,  especially  in 
the  giant  cactus  regions,  occurring  in  numbers  up  to  an  altitude  of  4,500 
feet.  Though  breeding  in  mesquite  and  cottonwood  trees,  they  show 
a  great  preference  for  groves  of  giant  cactus,  which  afford  nesting  places 
for  thousands  of  pairs  about  Tucson,  Florence,  and  Riverside.  Near 
Tucson,  Mr.  Scott  took  fresh  eggs,  three  to  five  in  number,  from  May 
15  until  the  last  of  the  month.  The  birds  do  not  always  excavate 
new  nesting  holes  in  the  giant  cactus,  but  more  frequently  take  advant- 
age of  former  excavations.  The  birds  are  very  fond  of  the  fruit  of  the 
giant  and  other  cacti.    The  eggs  are  smooth,  glossy  white,  and  measure 

.99X.72. 

412.    Colaptes  auratus  (Linn.)    [378.] 

Flicker. 

Hab.     Eastern  North  America,  west  to  the  Great  Plains,  north  to  Hudson  Ba;'  and  Alaska. 

This  is  the  Golden-winged  Woodpecker,  Yellow-jhafted  Flicker, 
Pigeon  Woodpecker,  High-holder,  Wake-up  and  YellDw-hammer  of 
Eastern  North  America.     Every  country  boy  has  a  name  for  it.    The 

«  Bulletin  No.  2.    The  Ridgway  Ornithological  Club. 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


223 


bird's  ordinary  notes  are  the  familiar,  oft-repeated  chuck-up,  chuck-up^ 
chuck-uPy  the  scythe-whetting  note,  quit-tu,  quit-tu,  quit-tu^  and  the 
peculiar  wake-up  call,  preluded  by  rapid  monosyllables.  The  Gol- 
den-winged Woodpecker  is  found  everywhere  in  woodlands,  nest- 
ing in  the  same  manner  as  others  of  the  family,  most  frequently  in 
a  dead  trunk  of  a  tree,  at  considerable  height  from  the  ground.  The 
excavations  are  generally  made  by  the  birds,  though  not  unfrequently 
the  eggs  are  laid  within  a  natural  cavity.  Curious  breeding-places  are 
sometimes  selected.  It  has  been  found  nesting  in  an  old  wagon  hub 
far  out  on  the  treeless  prairie;  in  barrels  and  in  the  crevices  of 
deserted  barns  and  out-houses.  Ordinarily  from  six  to  eight  or 
ten  crystalline  white  eggs  are  deposited,  but  'u  exceptional  cases  this 
bird  is  known  to  lay  a  large  number.  Prof.  Evermann  took  thirty-seven 
eggs  from  a  single  nest  between  May  4  and  June  22,  1885.  In  this 
period  of  time  the  bird  rested  fourteen  days. 

The  most  remarkable  instance  of  the  laying  capacity  of  the  Flicker 
of  which  I  am  aware  is  that  recorded  by  Charles  L.  Phillips,  of  Taunton, 
Mass.  On  May  6,  1883,  he  found  a  cavity  in  a  large  willow  tree  con- 
taining two  eggs;  he  took  one,  leaving  the  other  as  a  "nest  egg,"  and 
continued  to  do  so  day  after  day  until  the  female  Flicker  had  laid 
seventy-one  eggs  in  seventy-three  days.*  The  average  size  of  the  eggs 
is  1.10X.90,  and  in  a  large  series  a  great  variation  in  size  and  shape  are 

noticeable. 

413.    Colaptes  cafer  (Gmel.)    [378<5.] 

Red-shafted  Flloker. 

Hab.  Western  United  States,  from  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  the  Pacific  cOMt;  north  to  Sitka;  south 
to  Southern  Mexico. 

This  species  replaces  the  Yellow-shafted  Flicker  from  the  Rocky 
Mountains  to  the  Pacific.  In  its  habits,  nesting  and  eggs  the  exact 
counterpart  of  C.  auratus.  The  eggs  average  a  trifle  larger;  1.14X.8C 
is  the  average  of  thirty  specimens. 

413a.    Colaptes  cafer  saturatior   Ridgw. 

Northw^eitern  Flicker. 

Hab.    Northwest  coast,  from  northern  California  north  to  Sitka. 

The  general  habits,  nesting,  etc.,  of  this  darker  colored  race  are 
the  same  as  those  of  C.  auratus  or  C.  cafer.  Mr.  Norris  has  a  set  of 
seven  eggs  of  this  bird  in  his  cabinet  taken  near  Salem,  Oregon,  June  5, 
1888.  The  nest-cavity  was  in  an  old  balm  tree  thirty  feet  from  the 
ground.  The  eggs  measure,  i.iix.87,  i.iix.86,  i.iix.87,  i.i6x.85, 
1.13X.85,  1.16X.85,  1.11X.85. 

*  In  the  last  edition  of  this  work  Mr.  Phillips'  record  was  credited  to  the  Omithclogist  and  Oologist 
(Vol.  XI,  p.  16).  Mention  of  it  first  appears  in  Tk*  Young  Otlogitt  (Vol.  I,  p.  26),  and  it  has  recently  been 
recorded  in  Thi  Auk,  Vol.  IV,  p.  846. 


224  NESTS  AND   EGGS   OF 

414.  Colaptes  chrysoides  (Malh.)    [379  ] 

Glided  Flicker. 

Hab.    Southern  California,  Lower  California  ;  Southern  Arizona. 

Mr.  F.  Stephens  regards  the  distribution  of  this  species  in  Arizona 
as  coextensive  with  that  of  the  giant  cactus,  for  he  never  met  with  it 
except  where  this  singular  plant  grows.*  Mr.  Scott  states  that  it  is 
common  throughout  the  giant  cactus  region  all  about  Tucson,  and  he 
occasionally  saw  single  individuals  in  the  mesquite  timber.  All  that 
he  ever  met  with  breeding  have  been  in  giant  cactus.  The  nesting  time 
is  from  April  10  until  the  last  of  May.  According  to  Mr.  Scott,  the  num- 
ber of  eggs  is  small,  varying  from  two  to  five ;  the  latter  number  being 
the  largest  he  ever  found  in  a  nest.f  The  eggs  are  glossy-white,  and 
average  1.12X.84. 

415.  Colaptes  rufipileus    Ridgw    [380.] 

Onadalupe  Flicker. 

Hab.     Guadalupe  Island,  Lower  California. 

Mr.  Walter  E.  Bryant  gives  us  the  first  knowledge  we  have  con- 
cerning the  nesting  and  eggs  of  this  bird.|  On  Guadalupe  Island  he 
found  it  not  rare  in  the  restricted  area  of  a  large  cypress  grove,  but 
apart  from  this  locality  less  than  a  dozen  were  seen  during  his  stay  on 
the  Island.  For  a  portion  of  the  year  the  food  of  this  species  consists 
largely  of  smooth-skinned  caterpillers,witL  numerous  beetles  and  ants. 
The  nesting-cavities  are  found  at  heights  varying  from  three  to  fifteen 
feet.  The  scarcity  of  decayed  trees,  with  the  exception  of  fallen  ones, 
necessitates  either  work  upon  seasoned  wood  or  the  resort  to  dead  palm 
stumps.  A  cavity  was  found  April  7,  which  was  dug  to  the  depth  of 
twenty  inches,  and  contained  six  fresh  eggs,  upon  which  the  female 
was  sitting.  They  correspond  exactly,  both  in  color  and  general  shape, 
with  scores  of  other  eggs  of  this  genus,  and  offer  the  following  meas- 
urements in  millimeters:  28x22,  28x22,28x22.5,  29x22,29.5x22, 
29.5x22.8 

[353-] 


Hab. 
Illinois. 


416.    Antrostomiis  carolinensis    (Gmel.) 

Chnok-will's-'widoiiir. 

South  Atlantic  and  Gulf  States  and  Lower  Mississippi  Valley,  north  to  the  Carolinas  and 


Perhaps  the  two  best  known  North  American  species  of  this  fam- 
ily {Caprimulgidcs ^  the  Goatsuckers),  are  the  Whip-poor-will,  Antros- 
tomus  vociferus,  and  the  Nighthawk,  Chordeiles  virginianus.  They 
are  all  more  or  less  nocturnal,  and  fanciful  imaginations  have  detected 

*  Wm.  Brewster  on  a  collection  of  Arizona  birds.     Bull.  Nutt  Club,  Vol.  VIII,  24. 

tThe  Auk,  III,  429. 

\  Addition  to  the  Ornithology  of  Guadalupe  Island;    Bulletin  6,  California  Academy  of  Sciences,  pp. 


285-288. 


g  1.10x.87,1.10x.87,  LlOx  .89,  l.]4x.87, 1.16x  .87,  L16x  .87. 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


jt 


225 


in  many  of  their  cries  the  syllables  from  which  their  common  names 
are  derived — such  is  the  case  with  Chuck-will's-widow.  It  is  nowhere 
a  very  abundant  species,  but  more  common  in  Florida  than  in  any 
other  State.  It  is  found  in  Georgia,  South  Carolina,  Alabama,  Missis- 
sippi and  Texas. 

Mr.  Stuart  informs  me  that  in  Florida  it  nests  in  the  months  of 
May  and  June,  depositing  two  eggs  on  the  bare  ground,  or  on  leaves 
in  the  shadow  of  some  dense  thicket.  According  to  Audubon,  deep 
ravines,  shady  swamps,  and  extensive  pine  groves  are  the  retreats  of 
this  species  during  the  day,  when  the  birds  roost  in  hollow  trees. 
When  in  search  of  food,  the  same  places  are  resorted  to  at  night,  and 
their  singular  notes  are  only  uttered  for  a  brief  period  in  the  early 
evening,  when  on  the  wing.  If  either  their  eggs  or  young  are  dis- 
turbed, they  are  carried  off  in  the  capacious  mouths  of  the  birds  to 
some  distant  part  of  the  forest,  in  the  same  manner  that  a  cat  trans- 
ports her  kittens. 

A  set  of  two  eggs  in  my  cabinet,  collected  by  Mr.  Stuart  near 
Tampa,  Florida,  May  20,  1886,  measure  1.40x1.02,  1.42x1.00;  an- 
other set,  from  Manatee  county,  taken  May  14,  1887,  measure  1.39X 
i.oo,  1.41  X  1.02.  A  set  taken  in  Comal  county,  Texas,  April  22,  1888, 
measure  1.41  x  1.02,  1.42  x  1.04.  These  are  beautiful  eggs,  with  a  pink- 
ish-buff ground,  variously  marbled  with  pale  buff-brown  and  lilac- 
gray.  They  are  moderately  polished.  Mr.  Norris'  cabinet  contains  a 
series  of  nine  sets ;  some  of  these  eggs  are  almost  unmarked,  except 
a  few  spots  of  gray,  while  others  are  boldly  spotted  with  different 
shades  of  brown.  The  sizes  of  a  set  containing  the  largest  eggs  are  as 
follows:  1. 51  X  i.oi,  1.53x1.03;  the  set  containing  the  smallest,  1.29 x 
.94,  1. 30 x. 93,  respectively. 

417.    Antrostomus  vociferus    (Wils.)    [354] 

Whip-poor-will. 

Hab.    £astern  United  States  to  the  Great  Plains,  south  to  Guatemala. 

The  well-known  Whip-poor-will,  which  inhabits  the  Eastern 
United  States,  may  be  easily  distinguished  from  A.  carolinensis  by  its 
greatly  inferior  size ;  the  colors  of  both  birds  are  quite  similar.  In  its 
habits  the  Whip-poor-will  is  very  nearly  the  counterpart  of  the  Chuck- 
will's-widow,  keeping  within  the  recesses  of  deep  woods  and  under- 
growth during  the  daytime,  remaining  perfectly  silent.  The  name  of 
this  species  is  a  pretty  accurate  rendering  of  its  note,  which  is  uttered 
when  night  comes  on,  both  when  the  bird  is  on  the  wiiig  in  pursuit  of 
nocturnal  insects,  or  at  rest.  Rocky  ravines  shaded  by  trees,  where 
the  sun  seldom  penetrates  the  thick  foliage,  or  beneath  dense  under- 

16 


tell 

w 


i: 


I'll 


Itrt  il 


!'!: 


226 


NESTS  AND   EGGS  OF 


brush,  midst  fallen  logs,  are  the  favorite  nesting  places  of  the  Whip- 
poor-will. 

The  eggs  are  deposited  on  the  ground,  on  decayed  wood,  or 
among  fallen  leaves.  Two  eggs  constitute  a  set.  They  are  elliptical, 
of  moderate  polish,  with  a  ground  color  of  white  or  cream  color.  They 
are  handsomely  marked  with  large  and  small  spots  of  yellowish-brown 
distributed  rather  abundantly  over  the  entire  surface ;  occasionally  a 
few  blotches  may  be  observed.  Deep  shell  marks  are  about  as  numer- 
ous as  the  surface  marks,  and  are  of  a  lilac-gray  or  lavender  tint.  A 
set  of  tv/o  eggs  which  I  took  in  Franklin  county,  Ohio,  May  28,  1887, 
measure  1.18X.90,  1.20X.90;  a  set  from  Delaware  county,  Ohio,  col- 
lected June  2,  1888,  measure  1.14X.87,  i.i6x.86.  Dr.  Jones  gives  a 
common  size  as  i.i2x.88.  Like  the  Chuck-will's-widow  this  species 
removes  in  its  mouth  the  eggs  or  young  to  a  place  of  safety  if  they 
have  been  molested  or  handled. 


417rt.    Antrostomus  vociferus  arizonsB 

Stephens's  Whip-poor-wllli 

Hab.    Table  Lands  of  Central  Mexico,  north  to  Southern  Arizona. 


Brewst. 


This  is  a  larger  bird  than  the  last.  Mr.  F.  Stephens  met  with  it 
in  the  Chiracahua  Mountains  in  Southern  Arizona  in  1880,  and  less 
numerous  in  the  Santa  Rita  range  in  1881.  In  the  Chiracahua  range 
by  June  ist,  they  were  as  common  as  he  ever  knew  them  to  be  in  the 
East ;  sometimes  three  or  four  were  heard  whistling  at  once.  They 
were  restless  and  rather  shy.  July  4  a  female  was  shot  as  she  flew 
from  her  nest,  which,  as  usual,  was  only  a  very  slight  depression  in 
the  ground,  but  in  this  case  overhung  by  a  rock.  Mr.  Brewster  de^ 
scribes  the  egg  which  this  nest  contained  as  white  with  a  dull  gloss, 
apparently  immaculate,  but  upon  close  inspection  reveals  a  few  faint 
blotches  of  the  palest  purple,  so  faint  that  they  might  pass  for  super- 
ficial stains  were  it  not  for  the  fact  that  they  underlie  the  external  pol- 
ish.    This  specimen  measures  1.17X.87.* 

418.    PhalsBnoptilus  nuttalli    (Aud.)    [355] 

Poor-'«rill. 

Hab.    Western  United  States,  from  the  Great  Plains  to  the  Pacific,  south  to  Southern  Mexico. 

Nuttall's  Whip-poor-will,  or  the  Poor-will,  as  it  is  called,  is  found 
to  be  more  or  less  abundant  throughout  various  States  and  Territories 
of  the  West — in  the  interior  valleys  and  foot-hills  of  California,  Ore- 
gon and  Washington  Territory,  and  in  Arizona,  New  Mexico,  Texas, 
Colorado,  etc.  Col.  N.  S.  Goss  mentions  it  as  a  common  summer  resi- 
dent of  Kansas,  and  may  be  looked  for  on  the  high  prairies  and  rocky 

*  William  Brewster's  Notes  on  Some  Birds  from  Arizona  and  New  Mexico.  Bull.  Nutt.  Club,  VI, 
pp.  69-71;  and  Collection  of  Arizona  Birds,  Vol.  VH,  211-212. 


% 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


227 


grounds  along  the  banks  of  streams.  Begins  laying  the  last  of  May, 
depositing  two  white,  unspotted  eggs  upon  the  bare  ground,  in  the 
thick  growth  at  the  edge  of  timber ;  also  at  the  roots  of  a  bunch  of 
bushes  or  briers  upon  the  prairies.  Mr.  Emerson  states  that  he  fre- 
quently heard  this  bird's  mournful  cries,  poor-will^  poor-zvill^  in  San 
Diego  county,  California,  in  the  month  of  April.  A  set  of  two  eggs  in 
his  collection,  taken  near  Manhattan,  Kansas,  May  28,  1885,  are  pure 
glossy-white,  and  measure  30x22,  30x22.5  mm.* 

419.  Nyctidromus  albicoUls    (Gmel.)    [356.] 

Paranqne. 

Hab.     Valley  of  the  Rin  Grande  and  sonthward. 

Dr.  James  C.  Merrill,  Assistant  Surgeon  U.  S.  Army,  first  added 
this  species  to  our  fauna  in  1876.  In  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Brown  it  was 
a  common  summer  resident,  arriving  early  in  March  and  remaining  as 
late  as  the  middle  of  November.  It  frequents  shady  thickets  and 
copses,  and  when  flushed  dodges  rapidly  and  silently  among  the 
bushes,  but  soon  alights.  In  these  places  the  eggs  are  deposited 
usually  at  the  foot  of  a  bush.  Dr.  Merrill  observes  that  the  habits 
and  eggs  of  this  species,  in  addition  to  its  anatomical  charac- 
ters, show  its  affinity  with  the  Whip-poor-wills  rather  than  the  Night- 
hawks.  Their  notes  are  among  the  most  characteristic  night  sounds 
of  the  Lower  Rio  Grande,  and  are  constantly  heard  at  evening  during 
the  summer  months.  They  consist  of  a  repeated  whistle,  resembling 
the  syllables  whew^  whew^  whezv^  7i>heu>,  whe-e-e-e-e-w ^  much  stress 
being  laid  upon  the  last,  which  is  prolonged.  The  whole  is  soft  and 
mellow,  yet  can  be  heard  at  a  great  distance.  Mr.  George  B.  Sennett,  in 
the  same  region  in  Southern  Texas,  obtained  a  set  of  two  eggs,  April 
20.  He  states  that  the  birds  breed  in  the  more  open  places  among  the 
cactus  and  scattered  bushes  along  with  C.  texensis — Texas  Night- 
hawk.  The  eggs  are  two  in  number,  of  a  rich  creamy-buff,  sparingly 
marked  with  a  deeper  shade  of  the  same,  and  with  lilac ;  average  size 
1.25  X  .92.  Their  size  and  creamy-buff  color  render  them  easy  of 
identification. 

On  the  15th  of  May,  Dr.  Merrill  found  a  set  of  eggs  of  this  species 
near  camp  at  Hidalgo,  and  on  returning  in  about  fifteen  minutes  to 
secure  the  parent,  who  had  disappeared  among  the  thickets,  he  found 
that  she  had  removed  the  eggs,  although  they  had  not  been  touched. 

420.  Chordeiles  virginlanus    (Gmel.)    [357-] 

Nlghthawk. 

Hab.  Eastern  North  America,  north  to  Hudson  Bay,  west  to  the  edge  of  the  Great  Plains,  loutb 
through  tropical  America, 

The  Nighthawk,  BuUbat,  or  Goatsucker,  as  it  is  variously  called, 

«1.18x.87,  1.18X.91. 


ri 


!i'  i 


i 


ii 


228 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


breeds  throughout  its  range,  depositing  two  eggs  in  open  situations, 
such  as  fields,  etc.,  on  the  cold,  bare  ground,  often  among  stones ; 
scarcely  a  trace  of  a  nest  can  be  found  where  the  eggs  lay.  They  are 
frequently  deposited  on  bare  rocks,  and  on  the  flat  roofs  of  buildings 
in  large  cities.  Mr.  Norris  once  found  a  set  on  the  stump  of  a  tree 
about  eighteen  inches  from  the  ground ;  and  a  set  in  his  cabinet  was 
taken  from  the  gravel  roof  of  a  four-story  building  in  the  center  of 
Philadelphia.  The  Nighthawk  and  Whip-poor-will  are  often  con- 
founded or  consider  d  ps  birds  of  the  same  species.  A  careful  compar- 
ison with  each  other  or  with  the  descriptions,  will  at  once  show  a  very 
decided  difference  ^'\e  large,  white  patches  on  the  five  outer  pri- 
maries of  the  wings  of  the  Nighthawk  when  flying,  appear  like  tat- 
tered holes  caused  by  the  shot  from  a  gun.  In  the  evenings  of  sum- 
mer months  great  troops  of  Nighthawks  may  be  seen  high  in  air  over 
forest  or  town  in  search  of  insects,  performing  their  wonderful  evolu- 
tions and  uttering  their  peevish  cries,  or  swooping  down  with  their 
strange  booming  or  rumbling  sound,  they  skim  over  the  grassy  mead- 
ows. Thus  they  continue  till  the  gloaming  merges  into  darkness, 
and  their  flight  is  seen  no  longer. 

The  eggs  of  the  Nighthawk  vary  from  pale  olive-buff"  to  buffy 
and  grayish-white,  thickly  mottled  and  dashed  with  varied  tints  of 
darker  gray,  slate,  olive,  or  even  blackish,  mixed  with  a  marbling  and 
clouding  of  purplish-gray ;  the  pattern  and  tints  are  very  variable. 
The  shape  is  elliptical,  and  average  size  1.25X.85.  Six  eggs  measure 
1. 24 X. 85,  1.27x87,  1. 22 X. 83,  1. 24 X. 86,  1. 21 X. 82,  1.24x84. 


420a.    Ghordeiles  vlrginianus  henryi 

'Western  Nlghtha'wk. 


(Cass.)    [3570.] 


Hab.    Western  North  America  from  the  Great  Plains  to  the  Pacific,  south  to  Mexico. 

A  lighter-colored  form  of  the  Nighthawk,  found  in  the  unwooded 
portions  of  Western  United  States.  Its  general  habits,  nesting,  etc., 
are  the  same  as  those  of  C.  virginianus;  the  eggs  average  paler ;  size 
1.20  X. 85. 

[420^.]    Chordeiles  virginianus  minor    (Cab.)    [357*.] 

Cuban  Nighthaivk. 

Hab.    Cuba,  Jamaica  and  Southern  Florida. 

A  set  of  two  eggs  of  this  smaller  Nighthawk,  taken  with  the 
parent  bird  by  C.  J.  Maynard,  on  Merritts  Island,  May  8,  1886,  are  in 
Mr.  Singley's  collection.  The  ground-color  of  these  eggs  is  of  a  clear 
grayish-white,  evenly  spotted  over  the  surface  with  brownish  and  light 
slate,  so  thickly  as  to  nearly  obscure  the  ground.  The  markings  are 
bolder  and  darker  than  those  in  a  series  of  twelve  eggs  of  C.  virgin- 


V/' 


NORTH  AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


229 


ianus.    Their  sizes  are  i.i2x  .81,  1.06 x. 80.    The  average  size,  accord- 
ing to  Prof.  Ridgway,  is  1.13X.80. 

421.  Ghordeiles  texensls    Lawr.    [358.] 

Texan  Niglitli«wk. 

Hab.    Southwestern  border  of  the  United  States — Texas  to  Southern  California,  south  to  Costa  Rica. 

The  Texan  Nighthawk  is  smaller  than  the  foregoing  species,  the 
general  tone  of  the  plumage  lighter,  and  it  differs  otherwise.  It  is  a 
common  species  in  various  regions  in  Southern  Texas,  New  Mexico, 
Arizona,  etc.  Mr.  Sennett  describes  its  flight  as  resembling  that  of 
the  Whip-poor-will,  but  it  does  not  indulge  in  the  perpendicular  de- 
scents accompanied  by  the  whir  of  wings  so  characteristic  of  C.  vir' 
ginianus.  On  the  Lower  Rio  Grande  eggs  were  obtained  as  early  as 
April  26,  and  fresh  ones  found  as  late  as  May  19.  They  were  always 
laid  on  the  bare,  hot  ground.  Dr.  Merrill  states  that  the  notes  of  this 
species  are  a  curious  mewing  call  difficult  to  describe.  He  found  the 
eggs  in  the  vicinity  of  Brownsville,  Texas,  usually  deposited  in  ex- 
posed situations,  among  sparse  chaparral  on  ground  baked  almost  as 
hard  as  a  brick  by  the  intense  heat  of  the  sun.  One  set  was  found  on 
a  small  piece  of  tin,  near  a  frequented  path.  Mr.  Rachford  informs 
me  that  in  Jefferson  county,  Texas,  this  species  usually  deposits  its 
two  eggs  on  the  ground,  in  a  well-beaten  cow-path  ;  the  nesting  season 
begins  from  about  May  loth,  and  eggs  may  be  found  in  the  latter 
part  of  June.  Dr.  Merrill  states  that  the  eggs  vary  considerably,  but 
exactly  resemble  the  surface  on  which  they  are  placed.  The  ground- 
color is  usually  clay  ;  some  are  very  sparingly  dotted  with  brown ; 
others  mottled  with  light  brown  and  obscure  lilac ;  some  are  so  thickly 
marbled  with  brown  and  lilac  on  a  dark  ground  as  to  give  them  a 
granite-like  appearance.     They  average  1.07 x. 77. 

422.  Cypseloides  niger    (Gmel.)    [350.] 

Black  Swift. 

Hab.  Western  portions  of  the  United  States,  north  to  Colorado,  Nevada,  Oregon,  Washington  Terri- 
tory and  British  Columbia;  south  to  Southern  Central  America;  Jamaica,  Hayti  and  other  West  India 
Islands. 

The  Black  Swift  has  been  met  with  sparingly  in  the  various  regions 
cited  in  the  above  habitat.  Another  common  name  for  this  bird  is 
Northern  Black  Cloud  Swift.  Comparatively  little  has  been  ascer- 
tained concerning  its  general  habits,  and  its  eggs  have  remained  un- 
known until  the  present  year  (1888),  when  Mr.  M.  H.  Gormley  discovered 
its  nest  and  eggs  in  the  town  of  Seattle,  King  county,  Washington  Terri- 
tory. June  6  he  found  a  nest  in  the  interior  of  a  cornice  of  a  small 
frame  building  situated  on  Yesler's  Wharf  of  that  city.  The  entrance 
to  the  nest  was  at  one  end  of  the  cornice ;  the  deck  or  top  being  sprung 


^;i  w 


4*. 

'  if 


Ih 


■ii 


if 

11 


it 


230 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


SO  as  to  leave  an  opening.  The  compartment  was  about  twenty  inches 
square ;  the  nest  was  composed  of  leaves,  yet  green,  bits  of  paper, 
chips,  a  few  horse  hairs  and  straw,  the  leaves  and  paper  forming  the 
lining.  This  nest  contained  five  fresh  white  eggs  of  the  following 
dimensions:  i.oox.yi,  i.oox.70,  1.02  x. 70,  .96X.68,  .96X.68.  On 
June  28  a  set  of  four  eggs  was  taken  from  the  same  nest,  and  presum- 
ably from  the  same  pair  of  birds.  The  materials  of  this  nest  were  the 
same  as  those  of  the  first,  except  the  addition  of  a  piece  of  tinfoil  used 
to  cover  tobacco.  Incubation  had  begun,  and  the  female  had  to  be 
pushed  off  the  nest  in  order  to  secure  the  eggs.  Their  sizes  are  .96  x 
.67,  .98x71,  .99X.69,  1.00X.71.  No  glue  or  adhesive  saliva  joined  the 
materials  of  the  nests  together,  as  is  the  case  with  other  species  of  the 
family  whose  nidification  is  known. 

Mr.  Gormley  states  that  the  birds  are  rather  abundant  at  Seattle, 
usually  nesting  in  the  cornices  of  buildings  near  the  water  front,  in  the 
business  part  of  the  city.* 

423.    ChsBtura  pelagica    (Linn.)    [351.] 

Chimney  Swift. 

Hab.  Eastern  North  America,  north  to  Labrador  and  in  the  interior  to  the  Fur  Countries;  west  to 
the  edge  of  the  Great  Plains. 

The  progress  of  civilization  has  brought  about  conditions  and  causes 
which  have  given  rise  to  this  bird's  common  and  now  appropriate  name, 
Chimney  Swift,  or,  as  it  is  probably  better  known,  Chimney  "  Swal- 
low." When  the  country  was  first  settled  this  species  was  known  to  breed 
only  in  the  hollow  trunks  of  forest  trees,  but  as  soon  as  the  chimneys 
of  dwellings  erected  by  civilized  man  presented  greatei  convenience 
and  better  security  against  enemies  this  bird  forsook  its  primitive  nest- 
ing places,  and  now  only  in  remote  regions  or  wild  portions  of  the 
country,  where  natural  facilities  are  still  afforded,  it  is  found  breeding 
in  the  hollows  of  decaying  trees. 

The  nest,  as  shown  in  our  illustration,  is  a  beautiful  semi-circvilar 
basket  made  of  small  dead  twigs  of  nearly  uniform  length  and  thick- 
ness, and  when  attached  to  the  inside  of  a  chimney  is  placed  sufficiently 
below  the  top  to  be  protected  from  the  rays  of  the  sun.  The  twigs  are 
broken  from  trees  by  the  birds  while  on  the  wing.  They  are  all  strongly 
cemented  together  and  fastened  to  the  wall  with  the  saliva  of  the  birds. 
This  glue-like  substance  dries  and  hardens,  and  becomes  so  firm  that, 
when  the  nest  is  separated  from  the  sides  of  chimneys,  portions  of  the 
brick  to  which  it  is  fastened  often  adhere  to  the  structure.  My  friend, 
Mr.  Arnold  Boyle,  took  a  nest  of  this  species  from  the  inside  of  a  barn 
in  Wyandot  county,  Ohio ;  its  position  was  similar  to  that  of  the  Barn 

^Auk,  V,  pp.  424-^25. 


, 


NORTH   AMERICAN    BIRDS. 


231 


Swallow.  From  four  to  six  narrowly  elliptical  pure  white  eggs  are  de- 
posited, ordinarily  four.  May  and  June  are  the  nesting  months,  and 
usually  but  one  brood  is  reared  in  a  season.  A  set  of  four  eggs,  col- 
lected in  the  Adirondack  region,  Essex  county,  New  York,  June 
27,  measure  .82  x  .52,  .81  x  .52,  .84  x  .51,  .82  x  .50 ;  a  set  of  five  taken  in 
Franklin  county,  Ohio,  exhibit  the  following  sizes :  .79  x  .50,  .8ox  .50, 
.80X.52,  .77x50,  .79X.53.  The  eggs  in  a  large  series  range  from  .74 
to  .86  in  length  and  from  .47  to  .55  in  breadth. 

424.    ChsBtura  vauxii    (Towns.)    [352.] 

Vanx's  Swift. 

Hab.    Pacific  coast,  from  British  Columbia  south  in  winter  to  Guatemala. 

This  is  a  lighter  colored  and  smaller  species  than  the  Chimney 
Swift.  The  habits  of  the  two  birds,  however,  are  similar,  except  that 
Vaux's  Swift  is  said  only  to  nest  in  hollow  trees.  In  various  regions 
of  Oregon  and  in  Washington  Territory  this  species  is  a  common  sum- 
mer resident,  where  it  breeds  in  May  and  June,  fastening  to  the  inside 
walls  of  hollow  tree  trunks  and  stubs  the  half-saucer-shaped  nest  of  twigs, 
which  is  glued  together  with  the  bird's  saliva.  Four  or  five  narrow- 
elliptical  white  eggs  are  deposited,  which   have  an  average  size  of 

•74X.50- 

428.    Trochilus  colubrls    Linn.     [335.] 

Ruby-throated  Hnminingbird. 

Hab.  Eastern  United  States  to  the  Great  Plains,  north  to  Canada,  south  in  winter  to  Cuba,  Eastern 
Mexico  and  Central  America,  to  Uraguay. 

This  is  the  only  species  of  Hummingbird  found  east  of  the  Missis- 
sippi, where  it  is  common  and  well-known.  Its  small  size,  iridescent 
plumage,  its  marvelous  swiftness  of  flight,  and  the  architectural  beauty 
of  its  nest  are  the  admiration  of  all. 

The  eggs  of  the  whole  family  of  Hummingbirds,  as  far  as  known, 
are  white,  unspotted ;  rather  elliptical  than  oval,  and  always  two  in 
number.  The  only  difference  noticed  are  the  relative  variations  in  size. 
The  nests  are  generally  saddled  upon  a  horizontal  branch,  are  cup-like 
in  shape,  and  are  mostly  made  up  of  various  kinds  of  soft  vegetable 
down;  in  nearly  all  cases  covered  on  the  outside  with  a  coating  of 
lichens  or  mosses.  The  nest  of  the  Ruby-throated  Hummingbird  is  a 
miniature  of  the  Blue-gray  Gnatcatcher's.  It  is  felted  with  a  mass  of 
exquisitely  soft,  cottony,  silky,  or  woolly  substances,  such  as  the  down 
from  the  stem  of  plants,  and  is  artistically  covered  on  the  outside  with 
lichens.  It  is  usually  placed  on  a  horizontal  limb  of  a  forest  or  orchard 
tree.  Several  specimens  before  me  are  placed  on  branches  that  were 
slanting,  and  the  nests  rest  in  small  forks.  A  very  fine  one  measures, 
outwardly,    one   and   three-fourth    inches   broad   by   one   and   a   half 


i\i  I 


il 


232 


NKSTS  AND    KGGS   OF 


deep.  Nests  saddled  on  thick  limbs  are  usually  larger.  In  Ohio  the 
Ruby-throat  prefers  nesting  in  the  branches  of  the  buckeye  to  all  other 
trees.  The  birds  are  especially  abundant  about  this  tree  when  it  is  in 
full  blossom  early  in  May.  The  nesting  time  is  from  about  the 
middle  of  May  to  the  latter  part  of  June.  The  average  size  of  thirty 
eggs  is  .51  X  .34. 

429.    Trocliilus  alexandri    Bourc.  &  Muls.     [336.] 

Blaok-oklnnad  Hnmmingblrdi 

Hab.     Western  United  Sl^itei,  from  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  the  Pacific,  south  into  Mexico. 

This  Hummingbird  nests  in  more  open  ground  than  the  Rufous 
or  Anna's,  placing  the  structure  usually  on  the  small  branches  of  oaks 
and  sycamores.  Sometimes  it  rests  lightly  in  the  forks  of  a  slender 
twig.  It  is  composed  of  the  web  or  down  found  on  the  under  side  of 
the  leaves  of  the  sycamore ;  the  effect  is  that  the  nest  looks  like  a  small, 
round,  yellow  sponge.  Eggs  same  as  those  of  the  Ruby-throat,  with 
an  average  size  of  .50X.30. 

Mr.  W.  E.  D.  Scott  states  that  this  species  is  an  abundant  summer 
resident  in  the  Catalina  mountains  in  Southern  Arizona,  and  by  the  last 
of  May  the  birds  are  mated  and  begin  breeding.  He  found  fresh  eggs 
as  late  as  July  and  early  in  August.  Mr.  Stephens  notes  this  Hum- 
mingbird as  not  common  in  the  San  Benardino  Valley.  A  nest  taken 
May  22  was  built  in  a  willow,  eight  feet  from  the  ground,  and  contained 
two  eggs  in  which  incubation  had  commenced. 

430-     TrocMlus  costSB    (Bourc)    [337.] 

Costa's  Hummingbird. 

Hab,     Lower  California,  Western  Mexico,  Arizona  and  Southern  California. 

Costa's  Hummingbird  is  more  or  less  abundant  in  various 
regions  of  Arizona  and  Southern  California.  It  is  not  generally  so 
abundant  as  the  Black-chinned  Hummingbird,  in  whose  company  it  is 
often  found  breeding.  Small  streams  in  the  moimtain  canons,  fringed 
with  alder,  laurel,  sycamore  and  other  shrubbery  are  their  favorite 
resorts.  Mr.  Scott  did  not  find  this  species  very  common  at  Riverside, 
Pinal  county,  Arizona,  in  1882.  On  May  5  a  nest  was  found  built  in  a 
Cottonwood  tree  thirty-five  feet  from  the  ground,  almost  at  the  extrem- 
ity of  the  branches. 

Four  sets  of  the  eggs,  with  the  nests,  of  Costa's  Hummer,  collf^cte'^' 
in  the  neighborhood  of  Banning,  California,  May  12  and  13,    "H4,  p 
before  me.     The  nests  were  built  in  shrubs,  varying  from  six  civc 

feet  in  height.  Two  of  the  nests  rest  in  slender  forks,  while  ti  other 
two  are  built  on  small  twigs.  The  materials  in  these  do  not  diffe: 
essentially  from  those  in  ten  nests  of  the  Anna's  Hummingbird,  con- 
sisting of  soft,  downy,  yellowish  or  grayish  vegetable  substances,  with 


.\ 


NORTH   AMKRICAN   BIRDS. 


233 


here  and  there  bits  of  flower  stems,  the  whole  covered  on  the  outside 
with  spider  webs.  Each  of  these  nests  contained  two  eggs,  and  they 
exhibit  the  following  sizes:  .49X.31,  .49X.29;  .45X.30,  .47x31 ;  .48 x 
.30,  .49  X  .30 ;  .45  X  .32,  .46  X  .30. 

431.    Trochiltts  anna    (Less.)    [338.] 

Anna'a  Huiniiilngblrd* 

Hab.     Valleya  of  Cilifornia,  Arizona  and  Mexico. 

Anna's  Hummingbird  is  a  common  resident  of  California ;  its  nest 
and  eggs  can  be  found  almost  any  time  in  May  and  June.  In  the 
vicinity  of  Haywards,  California,  Mr.  Emerson  took  a  nest  of  this  spe- 
cies which  contained  two  eggs,  January  20.  It  was  built  in  slender 
forks  of  a  pear  tree,  about  eight  feet  from  the  ground.  Over  the  entire 
outside  of  this  nest  are  distributed  green  lichens.  Mr.  H.  R.  Taylor, 
of  Alameda,  California,  records  a  nest  containing  two  eggs  far  advanced 
in  incubation,  which  he  found  February  13.  The  nest  was  placed 
about  thirty  feet  from  the  ground,  near  the  end  of  slender  limb  of  a  cy- 
press tree.  The  birds  build  in  trees,  and  are  not  particular  what  kind  or 
where  they  are  situated ;  on  hillside,  along  creeks,  in  orchards  or  in  gar- 
dens. Ten  nests  collected  by  Mr.  R.  B.  Herron,  at  San  Gorgonio  Pass, 
California,  in  May,  do  not  exhibit  great  variation  in  their  general  make- 
up and  style.  They  are  composed  of  thistle  down  and  willow-cotton,  with 
occasionally  a  few  small  feathers  and  bits  of  flower  stems ;  on  the  out- 
side, moss  well  covered  with  spider  webs,  with  here  and  there  pieces  of 
lichens.  Eggs  same  as  those  of  T.  cobibris ;  four  specimens  measure 
as  follows :  .45  x  .30,  .47  x  .30,  .49  x  .32,  .49  x  .30.  Twenty-four  eggs 
have  an  average  size  of  .50X  .32. 

432.    Trochilus  platycercua    Swains.     [339.] 

Broad-tallad  HnnuniiiKlbird. 

Hab.  Rocky  Mountain  plateau  region  of  the  United  States,  from  Montana,  Idaho  and  Wyoming  Ter- 
ritories southward  to  Guatemala. 

This  Hummingbird  is  a  common  species  in  the  Rocky  Mountain 
regions  of  the  United  States,  and  is  particularly  numerous  in  New 
Mexico,  Colorado  and  northward.  In  its  flight  it  is  said  to  utter  almost 
constantly  a  sharp  screeching  or  chattering  note.  Large  numbers  of 
these  birds  are  often  found  breeding  in  thickets  of  dwarf  willows  along 
streams.  The  nests  are  beautiful  structures,  composed  of  soft,  vege- 
table down  and  covered  externally  with  lichens  and  bark-fibre,  resemb- 
ling the  twigs  to  which  they  are  attached,  and  their  height  from  the 
ground  ranges  from  three  to  ten  feet.  The  nests  are  similar  to  those  of 
the  Ruby-throat,  but  are  usually  suspended  on  small,  swaying  twigs, 
sometimes  directly  over  running  water.  In  Colorado  this  species  rears 
two  broods  in  a  season.    Ten  eggs  before  me  are  not  distinguishable 


'f 


m 


m 


Hi 


234 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


from  those  of  the   Rnby-throated  Hummingbird  in  size,   color  and 

shape. 

433.    Trochilus  rufus    Gmel    [340.] 

Rmfoiu  Hnmiiiing1>lrd. 

Hab.  Weit«rn  North  America,  from  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  the  Pacific  coait;  north  to  or  nearly  to 
Alaska,  south  over  the  Table  Lands  of  Mexico. 

The  commonest  and  most  extensively  distributed  Hummingbird 
of  the  West;  from  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  the  Pacific,  and  from 
Mexico  northward.  Its  favorite  nesting  site  is  along  the  borders  of 
creeks,  on  the  overhanging  limbs  and  branches  of  trees  and  bushes. 
Mr.  A.  W.  Anthony  mentions  this  species  as  abundant  in  Washington 
county,  Oregon,  breeding  nearly  everywhere.  Nests  were  found  in 
ferns,  in  bushes,  trees  and  vines  overhanging  embankments ;  the  lat- 
ter, he  states,  seems  to  be  the  favorite  locality,  six  nests  being  found  in 
an  old  railroad  cut,  in  May  and  June.  The  materials  used  are  willow- 
floss  and  soft  plant-down.  Frequently  nests  are  found  covered  with 
light-colored  lichens,  which  resemble  the  small  bunches  of  moss  in 
the  trees  where  they  are  built.  The  eggs  are  not  distinguishable  from 
those  of  T.  colubris,  except  that  they  average  slightly  smaller. 

434.    Trochilus  alleni    (Hensh.)    [341.] 

Allen's  Hummingbird. 

Hab.     Coast  district  of  California,  north  to  British  Columbia,  south  to  Arizona. 

Allen's  Hummingbird  is  found  throughout  the  coast  region  of  Cal- 
ifornia and  northward.  This  species  is  said  to  be  very  lively  and  active, 
keeping  constantly  in  open  places,  and  always  perching  upon  the  most 
prominent  dead  twigs.  Compared  to  the  unsuspicious  nature  of  the 
Rufous  Hummingbird,  it  is  extremely  shy.  Nests  usually  in  thickets 
and  trees  along  creeks  and  canons.  The  outside  of  the  nest  is  com- 
posed of  fine  moss,  the  lining  is  the  delicate  floss  of  the  cottonwood. 
Eggs  same  as  those  of  T.  cobibris.  All  the  Hummingbirds  that  breed 
in  California  are  said  to  rear  two  broods  in  a  season. 

435. 


Hab. 


Trochilus  heloisa    (Less  &  DeLatt.)     [342.] 

Helolae's  Hnmmingblrd. 

Eastern  Mexico  and  Southern  Texas. 


In  various  districts  in  Southwestern  Texas  Heloise's  Humming- 
bird is  not  uncommon.  It  possesses  the  same  general  characteristics 
as  are  common  to  the  birds  of  this  family. 

Captain  B.  F.  Goss  has  a  set  of  two  eggs  with  the  nest  of  this 
species,  taken  in  El  Paso  county,  Texas,  April  14,  1884.  The  nest  was 
placed  in  a  bush,  and  is  a  beautiful  structure  made  of  white-cottony 
fibre  from  seed  pods.  On  the  outside  it  is  sparingly  covered  with  small 
lichens.  The  eggs  are  pure  white,  and  measure  45X.36,  .46X.34,  re- 
spectively. 


: 


t  > 


NORTH  AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


235 


436.    Trochilus  calliope    Gould.     [343-] 

Calliope  Hummingbird. 

Kjib.    Western  United  States,  north  to  British  Columbia,  south  to  Mexico;  east  to  Rocky  Mountains. 

One  of  the  smallest  of  Hummingbirds.  Common  to  the  mountains 
of  the  Pacific  slope,  from  British  Columbia  south  to  the  Table  Lands  of 
Mexico.  It  is  abundant  in  some  localities  on  the  eastern  slopes  of  the 
Sierra  Nevada  Mountains,  and  occurs  as  far  east  as  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tain region,  from  New  Mexico  north  to  Montana. 

In  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Klamath  Oregon,  Dr.  Merrill  found  this  spe- 
cies abundant  after  May  16  about  the  blossoms  of  wild  currant  and  goose- 
berry bushes.  During  the  breeding  season  the  birds  are  generally  dis- 
tributed in  deep  pine  woods  as  well  as  in  more  open  places,  the  con- 
stant, sharp  shrill  notes  of  the  males  indicating  their  presence.  A  nest 
found  about  the  middle  of  July  which  the  young  had  just  left  was 
placed  upon  a  dead,  flattened  cone  of  Pimcs  contorta.  It  was  composed 
of  thin  strips  of  gray  bark,  with  a  few  spiders'  webs  CiU  the  outside  ;  the 
lining  was  similar,  but  with  a  few  small  tufts  of  a  cottony  blossom  from 
some  tree  ;  the  nest  was  just  the  color  of  the  cone,  and  was  admirably 
adapted  to  escape  notice.  Another  nest  containing  two  nearly  fledged 
young  was  found  at  about  the  same  time,  but  was  quite  unlike  the  one 
just  described  in  construction  and  situation,  being  of  the  common 
Hummingbird  type,  and  saddled  upon  a  dead  willow  twig. 

Near  Carson,  Nevada,  Mr.  Walter  E.  Bryant  found  a  nest  of  this 
species  built  upon  a  prv^'ecting  splinter  of  a  wood  pile  at  a  height  of 
five  feet.  Another  was  secured  to  a  rope  within  an  outbuilding.  The 
eggs  of  this  species  measure  .48  x  .32. 

439.    Amazilia  cerviniventris    Gould    [346.] 

Buff-bellied  Hummingbird. 

Hab.     Lower  Rio  Grande  Valley  in  Texas,  south  to  Eastern  Mexico. 

Dr.  James  C.  Merrill  added  this  Hummingbird  to  the  avifauna  of 
the  United  States  in  1876,  the  first  specimen  being  taken  August  17,  on 
the  Lower  Rio  Grande,  in  Texas.  He  found  it  nowhere  so  abundant 
as  dn  the  military  reservation  at  Fort  Brown,  where  it  was  perfectly  at 
home  among  the  dense,  tangled  thickets,  darting  rapidly  among  the 
bushes  and  creeping  vines,  A  rather  noisy  bird,  its  shrill  cries  usually 
first  attracts  one's  attention  to  its  presence.  A  Hummer's  nest,  un- 
doubtedly made  by  this  species,  was  found  in  September,  1877,  within 
the  fort.  It  was  placed  on  the  fork  of  a  dead,  drooping  twig  of  a 
small  tree  on  the  edge  of  a  path  through  a  thicket ;  it  was  about  seven 
feet  from  the  ground,  and  contained  the  shriveled  body  of  a  young 
bird.  The  nest  was  made  of  downy  blos.soms  of  the  tree  in  which  it 
was  placed,  bound  on  the  outside  with  cobwebs,  and  rather  sparingly 


i^t^ 


'\ 


il' 


m 


I  ■■' 


I 


236 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


covered  with  lichens.  The  inside  depth  was  somewhat  less  than  i.oo; 
the  diameter  .50;  external  depth  1.50.  No  description  of  the  eggs  are 
at  hand,  but  they  are  doubtless  the  same  as  those  belonging  to  other 
birds  of  this  family. 

440.    Basilinna  xantusi    (Lawr.)    [347] 

Xantna's  Hammlngblrd. 

Hab.     Lower  California. 

This  Hummingbird  occurs  in  the  southern  portion  of  Lower  Cali- 
fornia. It  was  first  taken  at  Cape  St.  Lucas  by  Mr.  Xantus,  and  de- 
scribed by  Mr.  George  N.  Lawrence  in  i860.  I  have  no  information 
regarding  its  specific  habits ;  they  perhaps  do  not  differ  essentially 
from  those  which  characterize  other  Hummingbirds. 

Prof.  Ridgway  describes  the  nest  as  composed  of  various  soft  veg- 
etable fibres  (especially  raw  cotton,  spiders'  webs,  etc.),  and  attached  to 
small  twigs.  Size  about  1.50  in  diameter  by  about  .80  in  height,  the 
cavity  about  i.oo  x  .55-.60.     Eggs  .47  x  .31.* 

[442.]    Milvulus  tyrannus    (Linn.)    [302.] 

Fork-tailed  Flyoatoher.  '      ■'• 

Hab.  Mexico  to  South  America.  Accidental  in  the  United  States — Mississippi,  Louisiana,  Kentucky, 
New  Jersey. 

This  handsome  Flycatcher  with  a  very  deeply  forked  tail  is  found 
throughout  tropical  America.  Its  tail  is  about  a  foot  long,  and  forked 
as  much  as  six  to  eight  inches.  The  bird's  occurrence  in  the  United 
States  is  purely  accidental,  and  only  a  few  specimens  have  thus  far 
been  taken  in  the  regions  cited  above.  Its  habits  are  said  not  to  differ 
essentially  from  those  of  the  Scissor-tailed  Flycatcher  of  our  southern 
fauna.  '  ■'^'".-  "  '*'■■  ■  '■     " ■"- 

Dr.  Brewer  describes  an  egg  of  this  species  obtained  by  Dr.  Bal- 
damus,  from  Cayenne,  as  bearing  a  strong  resemblance  to  the  egg  of 
the  common  Kingbird.  It  has  a  clear  white  ground,  and  is  spotted 
with  deep,  bold  markings  of  reddish-brown  ;  size  .90  x  .68. 

443.    Milvulus  forficatus    (Gmel.)    [301.] 

Solssor-tailod  Flyoatoheri 

Hab.  Eastern  Mexico  and  southwestern  prairie  districts  of  the  United  States,  north  to  Indian  T(  rri- 
tory,  Kansas  and  the  southwestern  portion  of  Missouri.  Accidental  in  the  Eastern  States — Virginia,  New 
Jersey,  New  England — even  as  far  north  as  Hudson  Bay  Territory  and  Manitoba. 

Known  as  the  Swallow-tailed  or  Fork-tailed  Flycatcher — an  ele- 
gant, graceful  bird,  common  in  the  southwestern  portion  of  the  United 
States,  from  Kansas  and  southwestern  Missouri  southward — especially 
abundant  in  Texas.  Mr.  Singley  states  that  in  Lee  county,  Texas, 
this  bird  nests  in  trees  varying  n  six  to  twenty  feet  from  the 
ground.     He  describes  a  typical  nest  as  built  of  weeds,  small  stems 

«  Manual  N.  A.  Birds,  p.  318. 


i, 


NORTH  AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


237 


.. 


f& 


and  thistle-down,  and  lined  with  down  and  sometimes  with  a  few  fib- 
rous roots.  Since  the  introduction  of  cotton  gins  and  sheep  ranches 
most  of  the  nests  are  built  of  weeds  and  cotton  or  wool,  or  both  felted, 
lined  with  the  same,  but  oftener  with  no  lining.  Mr.  E.  C.  Davis  in- 
forms me  that  the  favorite  nesting  site  of  this  bird  in  Cooke  county, 
Texas,  is  in  the  low  mesquite  bushes  on  the  prairies.  He  has  fre- 
quently found  double  nests ;  one  now  in  his  collection  consists  of  three 
nests  built  on  each  other  and  made  entirely  of  cotton,  measuring  fif- 
teen inches  from  top  to  bottom.  „    • 

Mr.  Singley  says  the  usual  number  of  eggs  in  a  set  is  five, 
fully  eighty  per  cent,  being  of  this  number;  the  other  twenty 
per  cent,  is  about  equally  distributed  between  sets  of  four  and 
six.  They  are  white,  or  creamy-white,  marked  with  a  few  dark 
red  spots,  and  occasionally  of  an  obscure  purple,  chiefly  at  the 
larger  end ;  the  eggs  vary  in  color  from  pure  white,  unmarked  speci- 
mens, which  are  very  rare,  to  finely  speckled  with  reddish-brown,  and 
often  covered  with  large  spots  and  blotches  of  brown  and  lilac,  and 
look  as  if  whitewash  had  been  brushed  over  the  colors.  A  large  series 
of  these  eggs  in  Mr.  Norris'  cabinet  demonstrate  the  fact  that  they  do 
not  show  as  great  a  variation  in  their  markings  as  those  of  the  com- 
mon Kingbird,  which  they  resemble ;  they  average  smaller,  and  their 
sizes  are  more  constant.     Their  average  size  is  .87  x  .67. 

444.    Tyrannus  tyrannus    (Linn.)    [304.] 

^  Kirngbird. 

X  Hab.     Eastern  temperate  North  America,  south  to  Central  and  western  South  America  to  Boliria; 

Cuba;  Bahamas.     Rare  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains. 

A  common  bird  in  Eastern  United  States,  and  perhaps  betler 
known  by  the  name  of  Bee-bird  or  Bee-martin.  It  destroys  thousands 
of  noxious  insects,  which  more  than  compensates  for  all  the  bees  it 
eats.  This  bird's  pugnacious  disposition  during  the  breeding  season, 
the  boldness,  persistent  tenacity,  and  reckless  courage  with  which  it 
attacks  other  birds,  even  crows,  hawks  and  owls,  are  characteristics 
familiar  to  all.  The  nest  is  placed  in  an  orchard  or  garden,  or  by  the 
roadside,  on  a  horizontal  bough,  or  in  a  fork  at  a  moderate  height ; 
sometimes  in  the  top  of  the  tallest  trees  along  streams.  It  is  bulky, 
openly  situated,  and  as  easily  found  as  that  of  the  Robin.  Exterior- 
ly it  is  ragged  and  loose,  but  well  cupped  and  brimmed,  consisting 
of  twigs,  weedstalks,  grasses,  rootlets,  bits  of  vegetable-down  and  wool 
firmly  matted  together.  The  lining  is  of  slender  grasses,  chicken 
feathers,  horse  hair,  fibres,  rootlets  and  wool,  used  singly  or  combined 
in  various  proportions. 

The  eggs  range  from  three  to  five  in  number.     A  large  series  be- 


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238 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


m 


fore  me  exhibit  a  wonderful  diversity  in  their  markings ;  the  ground 
color  is  either  white  or  creamy-white,  and  the  common  type  is  spotted 
with  rich  umber  and  chestnut-red.  The  sizes  vary  from- .80  to  1.05  in 
length  by  .69  to  .75  in  breadth.  The  average  size  of  forty  specimens 
is  .97  X  .70.  Sometimes  sets  of  these  eggs  are  found  almost  wholly  un- 
marked. 

445.    Tyrannus  dominicensis    (Gmel.)    [303.] 

Gray  Kingbird. 

Hab.  South  Carolina,  Georgia  and  Florida;  West  Indies,  coasts  of  the  Caribbean  Sea  and  Gulf  of 
Mexico.     Accidental  in  Massachusetts. 

A  larger  species  than  the  common  Kingbird,  but  its  general  ap- 
pearance, habits  and  nesting  are  the  same.  It  is  a  common  bird  in  the 
West  Indies,  and  is  found  regularly  in  Florida  and  northward  to 
Georgia,  etc.  Mr.  Stuart  states  that  it  breeds  in  Florida  in  the  months 
of  May  and  June,  building  for  its  nest  a  frail  structure  of  dry  twigs, 
lined  with  a  few  roots,  dead  moss  or  fibrous  plant  stems ;  it  is  placed 
in  low  bushes  or  in  trees  at  a  considerable  height.  The  favorite  nest- 
ing localities  are  along  streams  in  live  oaks. 

Usually  three,  sometimes  four  eggs  are  deposited ;  they  have  a 
ground  color  of  a  creamy,  pinkish  or  rosy  tint,  spotted,  blotched  or 
dashed  with  umber-brown  and  lilac-gray.  A  set  of  three  eggs  in  my 
cabinet,  taken  near  Tampa,  Florida,  May  20,  1885,  measnre  i.oox.75, 
1.02 X. 76,  1.04 X. 75;  another  set  of  three,  taken  near  Thomasville, 
Georgia,  June  4,  1888,  exhibit  the  following  sizes :  .99X  .70,  i.oo  x  .72, 
1.00X.73.  Mr.  Norris  has  a  set  of  four  eggs,  taken  in  Matee,  Florida, 
May  25;  these  measure  .97X.72,  .99X.82,  .97X.70,  .97X.74. 

446.    Tyrannus  melancliolicus  couchii    (Baird)    [305.] 

Conch's  Kingbird* 

Hab.  Northern  portion  of  Central  America,  north  through  Mexico  to  southern  border  of  the  United 
States  (Southern  Texas  to  Arizona). 

This  is  a  common  bird  from  Guatemala  north  through  Mexico  to 
the  southern  border  of  Texas,  New  Mexico  and  Arizona.  It  possesses 
the  same  characteristics  common  to  birds  of  its  family. 

A  nest  and  four  fresh  eggs  are  described  by  Mr.  Sennett.  *  These, 
together  with  both  parents,  were  taken  at  Lomita  Ranch,  on  the  Rio 
Grande,  Texas,  in  1881.  The  nest  was  situated  some  twenty  feet  from 
the  ground,  on  a  small  lateral  branch  cT  a  large  elm,  in  a  grove  not  far 
from  houses.  It  was  composed  of  smai.  elm  twigs,  with  a  little  Span- 
ish moss,  a  few  branchlets  and  leaves  of  the  growing  elm,  lined  with 
fine  rootlets  and  black  hair-like  heart  of  the  Spanish  moss.  The  out- 
side diameter  is  6  inches  and  the  depth  2  inches  ;  inside  diameter 
3  and  depth  1.25  inches. 

*  Auk.  I,  p.  93. 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


239 


■ 


The  eggs,  Mr.  Sennett  says,  have  a  general  resemblance  to  those 
of  all  our  Tyrant  Flycatchers,  but  are  quit^^  distinct  in  form,  size  and 
ground-color  from  any  he  had  seen.  The  blotches  are  more  numerous 
and  smaller ;  the  large  ena  is  very  round,  and  the  small  end  quite 
pointed;  the  ground-color  is  rich  buff;  the  blotches  are  similar  to  those 
of  the  Kingbird's  eggs,  but  more  irregularly  distributed  over  the  entire 
egg;  sizes  i.oox.76,  .99X.76,  .98X.76,  .97X.72. 

447.    Tyrannus  verticalis    Say    [306.] 

Arkansas  Kingbird. 

Hab.  Western  North  America  from  the  Plains  to  the  Pacific,  south  through  Western  Mexico  to 
Guatemala.     Accidental  in  Eastern  States  -Maine,  New  York,  New  Jersey  and  Maryland. 

The  Western  Kingbird  possesses  the  same  general  traits  which  are 
common  to  the  Kingbird  of  the  Eastern  States.  Col.Goss  mentions  it  as 
a  common  summer  resident  in  middle  and  Western  Kansas,  arriving 
about  the  first  of  May ;  begins  laying  in  the  latter  part  of  the  month. 
Mr.  A.  M.  Shields  states  that  in  the  region  about  Los  Angeles,  California, 
this  species  is  found  nesting  from  about  the  first  of  May  until  late  in 
July,  building  in  any  convenient  place ;  in  the  frame-work  of  a  windmill, 
the  cornice  of  a  house,  on  fence  posts,  in  the  forks  of  trees  at  heights 
ranging  from  five  to  fifty  feet.*  The  nest  is  built  of  any  available 
material,  rags,  grass  and  twigs,  lined  with  wool  or  cotton. 

The  eggs  are  five,  sometimes  four,  in  number.  A  large  series  be- 
fore me  do  not  differ  essentially  from  those  of  T.  tyrannus^  except  that 
they  average  smaller  ;  .g4x.65. 


448. 


[307.] 


Tyrannus  voclferans    Swains 

Cassin's  Kingbird. 

Hah.  Guatemala  north  through  Mexico  and  Western  United  States  to  Idaho  and  Southern  Wyoming, 
«nd  coast  district  of  Southern  California. 

Cassin's  Kingbird  greatly  resembles  T,  verticalis  in  color;  is  less 
lively,  and  not  so  quarrelsome  or  pugnacious  in  its  nature.  It  is  a 
common  bird  in  Southern  California,  but  is  nowhere  so  abundant  as  the 
Arkansas  Flycatcher.  In  the  Rocky  Mountain  region,  according  to 
Dr.  Coues,  it  mostly  replaces  verticalis  in  the  breeding  season.  A  com- 
mon bird  in  Arizona,     Mr,  W,  E.  D.  Scott  states  that  the  position  of 

*  Mr.  Walter  E.  Bryant,  in  his  p.ipers  entitled  "  Unusual  Nesting  Sites,"  mentions  some  curious 
freaks  concerning  the  nesting  of  the  Arkansas  Kingbird :  An  old  and  much  flattened  nest  of  Bullock's  Oriole 
was  found  relined,  and  containing  four  Kingbird's  eggs.  A  nest  was  found  by  Mr.  A.  M.  Ingersoll  built 
upon  a  fenre-post  more  than  half  a  mile  from  the  nearest  tree.  It  was  secured  from  observation  on  one  side 
by  a  board  nailed  to  the  post  and  projecting  above  it. 

One  of  the  most  remarkable  instances  of  persistency  in  nest  building  was  met  with  in  the  case  of  a 
pair  of  Kingbirds,  which  had  attempted  to  con.struct  a  nest  upon  the  outer  end  of  a  windmill  fan.  A  hori- 
zontal blade  had  probably  been  first  selected,  but  an  occasional  breath  of  air  had  slightly  turned  the  mill, 
bringing  into  place  another  and  another,  upon  each  of  which  had  been  deposited  the  first  material  for  a  nest 
until  several  nests  were  in  different  stages  of  construction,  varying  from  the  time  that  the  windmill  had  re- 
mained quiet,  while  upon  the  roof  below  was  strewn  a  quantity  of  debris  that  had  fallen  ai  the  wheel 
revolved.     Of  course,  nothing  but  failure  could  be  expected  from  their  repeated  attempts. 


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240 


NESTS  AND   EGGS   OF 


the  many  nests  he  examined  in  the  Catalina  Mountain  region  shows  a 
decided  preference  for  the  evergreen  oaks  over  other  trees.  The  nest, 
which  is  commonly  from  twenty  to  twenty-five  feet  from  the  ground,  is 
most  always  placed  near  the  extremity  of  a  branch,  and  is  hidden  by  the 
thick  leaves.  Six  nests  and  a  large  series  of  the  eggs  of  this  species 
before  me  do  not  diSer  essentially  from  those  of  T.  iyrannus  or  T. 
verticalis. 

449.    Pitangus  derbianus    (Kaup.)    [308] 

Derby  Flyoatoher. 

Hab.  Northern  South  America,  Central  America,  Mexico,  north  to  the  Valley  of  the  Rio  Grande 
in  Texas. 

A  large,  spirited-looking  Flycatcher  of  Mexico  and  southward, 
lately  found  on  the  Lower  Rio  Grande  in  Texas.  It  is  said  to  build  its 
nest  cniefly  in  thorny  bushes  and  trees ;  the  structure  is  large  and 
dome-shaped,  like  a  Magpie's  nest,  with  an  entrance  on  one  side.  It 
is  composed  of  twigs,  coarse  straws,  dried  mosses,  lichens,  etc.  The 
eggs  are  from  three  to  five,  sometimes  six  in  number ;  creamy- white, 
speckled,  spotted  and  blotched,  chiefly  at  the  larger  end,  with  umber- 
brown,  chestnut  and  lilac.  Average  size  of  ten  eggs  is  1.20X.80;  an 
average  specimen  measures  i.i6x  .75. 

452.    Myiarchus  crinitus    (Lynn.)    [312.] 

Crested  Flycatcher. 

Hab.  Eastern  United  States,  west  to  the  Plains,  north  to  Southern  Canada,  south  in  winter  through 
Eastern  Mexico  and  Central  America  to  Costa  Rica. 

The  Great-crested  Flycatcher  is  an  abundant  bird  in  the  wood- 
lands of  Eastern  United  States  as  far  north  as  Massachusetts.  Mr. 
Thomas  Mcllwraith  states  that  it  is  a  regular  summer  resident  along  the 
southern  frontier  of  Ontario,  Canada,  arriving  early  in  May.  During 
the  summer  months  the  loud,  harsh  cries  of  this  species  are  familiar 
sounds  in  the  woods,  which,  when  once  known,  are  easily  recognized. 
The  Great-crested  Flycatcher  breeds  throughout  its  United  States 
range.  It  builds  in  the  hollows  of  trees,  post-holes,  and,  even  Bluebird 
and  Martin  boxes  are  sometimes  occupied.  The  nest  is  made  of  slen- 
der twigs,  grasses,  fine  stems  and  rootlets,  and  cast-off"  snake  skins  are 
invariably  found  among  the  materials. 

The  eggs  are  remarkable  for  their  coloratior ,  having  a  ground  of 
buff"y-brown,  streaked  longitudinally  by  lines  sharp  and  scratchy  in 
style,  and  markings  of  purple  and  darker  brown ;  four  to  six  in  num- 
ber; average  size,  .82  x.62.  The  smallest  egg  selected  from  one  hun- 
dred specimens  measures  .76X  .62 ;  the  largest  .93  x  .70.  The  eggs  are 
so  peculiar  in  their  style  of  markings  that  they  may  be  easily  identi- 
fied, and  all  the  eggs  of  the  North  American  species  of  the  genus 
Myiarchus  are  alike  in  character. 


Cojiyrighl  iSS6. 


PLATE   VII. 


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BURROWING  OWLS  AND   NESTING   BURROW. 
[Spectyto  tunicnla.'ia  hy^gtra) 


Page  201, 


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i 


NORTH  AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


241 


453.  Myiarchus  mexicanus    (Kaup.)    [311.] 

Mexioan  Crested  Flyoatoher. 

Hab,     Lower  Rio  Grande  Valley  in  Texas,  southward  to  Guatemala. 

The  Mexican  Crested  Flycatcher  was  found  by  Dr.  Merrill  breed- 
ing in  considerable  numbers  on  the  Lower  Rio  Grande  in  Texas.  In 
its  notes  and  habits  it  appears  to  closely  resemble  M.  crinitus.  With 
one  exception,  no  snake  skins  were  used  in  the  construction  of  any  of 
the  nests.  They  were  composed  of  felted  locks  of  wool  and  hairs,  and 
were  placed  not  far  from  the  ground  in  old  Woodpeckers'  holes  or  in 
natural  cavities  of  decayed  trees  or  stumps.  Thirty-two  eggs  have  an 
average  size  of  .93X.66,  the  extremes  being  1.03 x. 73  and  .82X.65. 
The  eggs  are  similar  to  those  of  M.  crinittts^  except  that  they  have  a 
paler  ground  color  and  the  markings  are  not  so  heavy.  Mr.  Norris  has 
a  set  of  five  eggs  taken  May  8,  1887,  in  Starr  county,  on  the  extreme 
southern  border  of  Texas ;  they  measure  .86X.65,  .88x.66,  .86X.64, 
.89X.63,  .86X.65. 

453o.    Myiarchus  mexicanus  magister    Ridgw. 

Arizona  Created  Flyoatoher. 

Hab.    Western  Mexico,  north  to  Southern  Arizona.  ' 

Mr.  W.  E.  D.  Scott  found  this  bird  to  be  common  in  spring  and 
summer  aboiit  Tucson,  Florence,  Riverside,  and  in  the  foot-hills  of 
the  Catalina  Mountains  up  to  about  4500  feet,  in  Southern  Ari- 
zona. About  Tucson  it  frequents  the  mesquite  and  giant  cactus 
groves.  In  the  Catalinas,  at  an  altitude  of  4CXK)  feet,  a  nest  was  found 
built  in  a  deserted  Woodpecker's  hole  in  a  dead  sycamore  stub ;  it  was 
entirely  similar  to  that  of  M.  crinitus^  even  to  the  traditional  snake 
skins,  and  contained  five  eggs  nearly  ready  to  be  hatched,  very  similar 
to  those  of  M.  crinitus^  but  a  little  larger.  About  Tucson  the  birds 
nest  commonly  in  deserted  Woodpeckers'  holes  in  the  giant  cactus. 

An  egg  of  this  Flycatcher  in  my  cabinet,  taken  in  Pinal  county, 
Arizona,  March  21,  1886,  measures  1.03X.70. 

454.  Myiarchus  cinerascens    Lawr.     [313] 

Aah-throated  Flycatcher. 

Hab.  Western  United  States  from  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  the  Pacific,  north  to  Oregon,  Nevada, 
Utah  and  Colorado,  south  over  the  highlands  of  Mexico  to  northern  Central  America. 

The  Ash-throated  Flycatcher  is  a  common  species  west  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains ;  in  some  places  it  is  abundant.  It  is  described  as 
being  shy,  and  of  retiring  habits,  preferring  the  solitude  of  deep,  shady 
forests  where  its  insect  food  abounds.  It  is  usually  sole  possessor  of  the 
tree  in  which  its  nest  is  built ;  all  intruders  are  violently  assailed  and 
compelled  to  retreat.  The  nests  are  placed  in  natural  cavities  of  trees 
of  almost  any  kind,  in  a  deserted  squirrel's  or  Woodpecker's  hole. 
The  clutches  of  eggs  range  from  four  to  seven,  ordinarily  five  or  six, 

17 


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it; 


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242 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


and  the  nesting  season  is  in  May  and  June.  Old  excavations  of  Gaird- 
ner's  Woodpecker  are  commonly  resorted  to  by  this  species  in 
Californi|i. 

The  eggs  are  colored  and  marked  like  those  of  M.  mexicanus. 
Set  No.  208  (oological  collection  of  Walter  E.  Bryant),  taken  near 
Oakland,  California,  June  22,  1881,  contains  five  eggs,  which  were 
fresh  when  found;  their  measurements  are  22.5  x  16.5,  22x16,  23.5 
X16.5,  22x16.5,  23x16.5  mm.*  vSet  No.  207,  five  eggs,  taken  at 
Berkely,  California,  June  9,  1880,  contained  small  embryos,  and  show 
the  following  dimensions:  21x16,  21.5x15.5,  21.5x15.5,  21.5x16, 
20x15  mm.f 

456.    Sayornis phoebe    (Lath.)    [315] 

Phoebe. 

Hab,     Eastern  North  America;  in  winter  south  to  Mexico  and  Cuba. 

The  Phoebe,  Pewit,  or  Pewee  is  one  of  the  best  known  birds  in 
Eastern  United  States,  where,  with  the  Robin  and  the  Bluebird,  it  is 
always  one  of  the  first  spring  arrivals.  Shady  ravines,  the  borders  of 
rivers  and  open  fields  are  its  resorts.  It  is  commonly  found  perched 
upon  a  dead  branch  of  a  tree  at  the  edge  of  a  woods,  where  it  sits  flirt- 
ing its  tail  and  occasionally  darting  out  after  passing  insects,  always 
returning  to  the  same  twig,  and  frequently  uttering  its  simple,  agree- 
able and  emphatic  note,  pc-ivce^  pe-ivit^  or  as  some  hear  it,  phce-bee. 
This  species  is  called  "  Bridge-bird,"  from  its  habit  of  nesting  in  old 
wooden  bridges.  The  original  situation  of  the  nt.  is  the  face  of  an 
upright  rock,  which  is  sometimes  moss-grown  and  dripping  with  water. 
Wilson  states  that  the  Phoebe  occasionally  nests  in  an  open  well,  five 
or  six  feet  down,  among  the  interstices  of  the  side-walls;  and  Nuttall 
has  known  it  to  nest  in  an  empty  kitchen.  In  wild  places,  far  from  the 
habitation  of  man,  hollow  trees  are  resorted  to  as  breeding  places. 
Stone  culverts,  caves,  old  log  houses,  barns  and  sheds  are  its  accus- 
tomed nesting  places,  and  nests  are  often  found  in  woods  built  in  the 
roots  of  overturned  trees.  Mr.  W.  W.  Coe  records  the  nesting  of  a 
pair  of  Pewees  on  a  ferry  boat  running  between  Portland  and  Middle- 
town,  Connecticut,  the  boat  making  trips  every  ten  minutes.  The  birds 
seemed  to  claim  Middletown  as  their  home,  and  appeared  to  collect  the 
material  for  the  nest  on  that  side  of  the  river. 

My  friend,  Mr.  Mebs,  took  a  nest  containing  five  eggs  from  the 
beams  of  a  freight  car,  which  had  recently  made  a  trip  of  forty-five 
miles.     The  eggs  were  fresh,  and,  except  one,  unbroken.    Two  nests 

•\89  X  .65,  .87  X  .()3,  .93  x  .65,  .87  x  .65,  .91  x  .65. 
t  .83x  .63,  .86x  .61,  .85x  .61,  .85x  .63,  .79x  .59. 


NORTH   AMERICAN    BIRDS. 


243 


which  I  found  in  culverts,  over  running  water,  were  perfectly  green 
'vith  moss,  and  had  evidently  been  occupied  for  several  years.  The 
nejt,  attached  to  a  perpendicular  surface,  is  built  like  that  of  the  Barn 
Swallow,  being  compactly  and  neatly  made  of  mud  and  various  vege- 
table s\ibstances,  with  a  lining  of  grass  and  feathers. 

This  bird's  attachment  for  a  chosen  locality  is  sometimes  remark- 
able ;  its  nest  is  known  to  have  been  torn  down  and  rebuilt  again  by 
its  owner  in  the  same  spot.  The  eggs  may  be  taken,  when  a  second 
and  even  a  third  set  will  be  deposited. 

The  eggs  are  ordinarily  four  or  five  in  number ;  clutches  of  five 
are  the  most  common  ;  they  are  pure  white,  sometimes  sparsely  spotted 
with  obscure  or  well-defined  reddish-brown  dots  at  the  larger  end.  In 
exceptional  instances  the  Pewee  deposits  six  and  seven  eggs.  Their 
average  size  is  .81  x  .52. 

457.    Sayornls  saya    (Bonap.)    [316.] 

Say's  PhcDbe. 

Hab.  Western  United  States  from  the  Great  Plains  to  the  Pacific,  north  to  the  Saskatchewaa,  south 
to  Mexico. 

A  bird  of  an  extended  distribution  in  Western  United  States,  and 
possessing  the  same  general  traits  common  to  the  Eastern  Pewee. 
Col.  Goss  records  this  species  as  a  summer  resident  in  Western  Kansas, 
and  styles  it  "a  bird  of  the  plains."  Begins  laying  the  last  of  May. 
Dr.  Cones  says  that  it  is  common  in  open  or  rocky  country,  where  it  is 
seen  singly  or  in  pairs ;  the  principal  flycatcher  of  unwooded  regions, 
in  weedy,  brushy  places,  displaying  the  usual  activity  of  its  tribe,  and 
uttering  a  melancholy  note  of  one  syllable,  or  a  tremulous  twitter. 

Like  S.  phtcbe^  it  has  been  found  nesting  in  hollow  trees,  in  caves 
and  recesses  of  rocks,  in  outbuildings  or  abandoned  dwellings.  Some- 
times, with  the  familiarity  of  the  Eastern  species,  it  will  build  its  nest 
on  a  porch  of  a  dwelling  whose  inmates  are  almost  constantly  in  sight. 
Occasionally  two  broods  are  reared  in  a  season.  Mr.  Bryant  men- 
tions a  nest  found  by  Mr.  Walter  Bliss  at  Carson,  Nevada,  placed  within 
and  close  to  the  entrance  of  a  deserted  Bank  Swallow's  burrow.  The 
composition  of  the  nest  varies  more  or  less  according  to  the  locality  in 
which  it  is  built ;  vegetable  fibres,  soft  grasses,  spiders'  webs,  etc.,  are 
the  principal  materials,  and  the  shallow  cavity  is  lined  with  feathers 
and  hair. 

The  eggs  are  four  or  five  in  number,  white,  with  an  average 
size  of  .75  X  .57.  A  set  of  four  eggs,  taken  near  Banning,  Cali- 
fornia, May  19,  \s  measure  .75X.61,  .77X.61,  .75X.61,  .76X.59. 
Mr.  Norris  has  a  set  of  five  eggs  taken  in  Larimer  county,  Colorado, 
July  I,  1887.    The  nest  was  placed  on  a  projecting  beam  of  a  wagon 


,i't- 


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244 


NESTS  AND   EGGS  OF 


shed.    The  eggs  are  white,  ovate   in  shape,  and  measure  .71  x  .53, 
.72  X  .55,  .72  X  .55,  .75  X  .56,  .73  X  .54. 

458.  Sayornls  nigricans    (Swains.)    [317.] 

Black  PhoBbe. 

Hab.  Southweitern  United  Statei  and  Mexico— Texai,  through  Southern  New  Mexico  and  Ariionato 
California,  northward  along  the  coaat  to  Oregon. 

This  bird's  general  color  is  like  that  of  the  "Black"  Snowbird, 
Junco  hyemalis^  now  called  Slate-colored  Junco.  It  is  an  abundant 
species  throughout  California,  Southern  Arizona  and  New  Mexico,  and 
its  general  habits  are  much  the  same  as  those  of  the  common  Phoebe- 
bird  ;  the  nests  are  also  constructed  in  similar  situations  as  those  of  the 
Eastern  species — in  caves,  on  ledges  of  rocks,  under  bridges,  in  deserted 
dwellings,  etc.  The  bird  is  found  more  or  less  abundantly  along 
streams,  and  is  said  to  prefer  the  vicinity  of  human  habitations.  Mr. 
Walter  E.  Bryant  records  a  pair  of  these  birds  that  built  for  two  consec- 
utive years  in  a  well,  four  feet  below  the  surface.  The  first  year  a  sec- 
ond nest  was  built  after  the  first  had  been  taken. 

Four  or  five  eggs  are  laid.  A  set  of  four  eggs  is  in  my  cabinet, 
taken  April  26,  from  a  nest  in  a  barn  by  Mr.  S.  C.  Evens,  at  San  Jose, 
California.  Two  of  them  are  white,  unmarked,  and  the  other  two  are 
sparsely  dotted  at  the  larger  end  with  light  reddish-brown ;  their  sizes 
are  .73X.59,  .8ox.5g,  .81X.57,  .80X.58. 

Two  other  sets  in  my  collection  are  unmarked.  Mr.  Norris  has  two 
sets  of  eggs  of  the  Black  Phoebe ;  one  of  four  was  taken  in  Los  Angeles 
county,  California,  May  10,  1887,  from  a  nest  placed  in  a  cleft  of  rocks. 
The  eggs  are  of  a  light  cream  color,  three  of  them  unmarked,  and  one 
with  a  few  pin  points  of  reddish  ;  their  sizes  are  .74X.56,  .74X  .56,  .75 x 
.56,  .72X.56.  A  set  of  five,  collected  April  3,  1885,  in  Pinal  county, 
Arizona,  was  taken  from  a  nest  under  the  shelter  of  a  rock  by  the  side 
of  a  stream.  These  are  also  of  a  light  cream  color ;  three  of  them 
marked  with  small  specks  ^f  reddish,  the  others  being  unmarked. 
They  exhibit  the  following  sizes  :     .74  x  .58,  .76  x  .58,  .79  x  .60,  .']']  x  .57, 

•75X.59- 

459.  Contopua  borealis    (Swains.)    [318.] 

Olive-sided  Flyoatoheri 

Hab.  North  America  at  large,  north  even  to  Greenland,  south  in  winter  to  Central  America  and 
Columbia.        • 

The  Olive-sided  Flycatcher,  apparently  nowhere  abundant  —  at 
least  it  seems  to  escape  the  notice  of  observers — is  very  rare  in  the 
Middle  and  Southern  States,  but  less  so  in  the  West.  It  frequents  the 
coniferous  woods  of  the  mountain  districts  and  those  of  the  lowlands, 
breeding  from  Northern  United  States  northward.  In  some  localities 
of  New  England  the  Olive-sided  Flycatcher  is  rather  common,  where 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


245 


numerous  instances  of  its  nesting  are  recorded.  It  has  been  found 
breeding  in  New  Jersey,  Pennsylvania,  and  Northern  Minnesota. 
Col.  Goss  says  it  is  a  rare  summer  resident  of  Kansas.  The  nest  is 
usually  built  in  evergreen  trees,  frequently  at  a  great  height  from  the 
ground.  It  is  similar  in  construction  to  that  of  the  Wood  Pewee's  nest, 
being  saddled  on  a  horizontal  limb  or  fixed  in  a  fork.  A  nest  before 
me,  taken  in  Windsor  county,  Vermont,  June  lo,  1884,  is  a  shallow 
structure  made  of  twigs,  grasses,  and  bark  strips,  lined  with  soft 
grasses  and  moss;  it  is  a  very  frail,  clumsy  structure,  compared  to 
that  of  Contopus  virens.  This  nest  was  placed  in  a  hemlock  tree, 
thirty  feet  from  the  ground,  and  contained  four  eggs,  which  is  the 
usual  number. 

From  three  to  five  eggs  are  laid  by  this  species,  and  May  and  June 
are  the  breeding  months.  The  eggs  are  creamy-white,  spotted  about 
the  greater  end  with  a  distinct  confluent  ring  of  chestnut-red  and 
brown ;  there  are  also  spots  of  purple  and  lavender,  and  on  the  whole 
the  eggs  very  much  resemble  those  of  the  Wood  Pewee,  but  are 
larger;  sizes,  .90X.65,  .89X.65,  .90X.62,  .90X.67.  These  sizes  are 
slightly  larger  than  most  of  those  stated  by  writers.  The  average  size 
given  is  about  .82  x  .62. 

461.    Contopus  virens    (Linn.)    [320.] 

'Wood  Pewee. 

Hab.  Eastern  North  America  to  the  edge  of  the  Great  Plains,  north  to  Canada,  south  in  winter  to 
Eastern  Mexico  and  Guatemala. 

A  common  and  a  well-known  bird  in  Eastern  United  States.  By 
those  who  have  a  superficial  knowledge  of  birds,  it  is  often  con- 
founded with  the  common  Pewee,  but  it  is  considerably  smaller,  slen- 
derer, and  rather  darker  in  color.  The  notes  of  both  birds  are  very 
similar ;  those  of  the  Pewee  consist  of  two  syllables,  quickly  and 
sharply  uttered,  while  those  of  the  Wood  Pewee  are  of  two,  sometimes 
three  syllables,  pe-zvee  or  pe-a-u>ee^  repeated  at  all  hours  of  the  day, 
but  especially  after  sunset.  The  notes  are  truly  sad  but  swcot,  less 
emphatic,  much  slower  and  softer  than  those  of  the  Phcebe  and,  as  Mr. 
Thomas  Mcllwraith  says :  "  To  human  ears  the  notes  of  the  male  ap- 
pear to  be  the  outpourings  of  settled  sorrow,  but  to  his  mate  the  im- 
pressions conveyed  may  be  very  different."  * 

The  nest  of  the  Wood  Pewee  is  iisually  placed  either  on  the  upper 
surface  of  a  limb,  or  in  a  horizontal  fork.  It  is  generally  built  in 
a  large  tree  in  the  interior  or  on  the  border  of  woods,  or  by  the  road- 
side. Very  frequently  the  nest  is  placed  on  the  horizontal  branches  of 
apple  trees  in  orchards,  and  even  in  shade  trees,  in  close  proximity  to 

*  Birds  of  Ontario,  p.  181. 


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246 


KESTS  AND   EGGS   OF 


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houses,  or  on  those  along  river  banks.  The  distance  from  the  ground 
ranges  from  six  to  fifty  feet.  The  nest  is  a  very  pretty,  flat,  compact 
structure,  with  a  thick  wall  and  a  thin  floor — often  the  branch  forms  a 
portion  of  the  bottom  of  the  nest,  and  it  is  frequently  so  thin  that  the 
eggs  can  be  seen  from  beneath.  Slender  or  split  grasses,  weed-fibres, 
naii'^w  strips  of  grapevine  bark,  and  pieces  of  moss-fibres  make  up  the 
nest  pnper.  Externally  it  is  covered  with  pieces  of  lichens,  which 
are  held  in  position  by  webs,  and  the  structure  thus  ornamented  is  ren- 
dered indistinguishable  from  a  natural  protuberance  of  the  branch 
itself.* 

The  nesting  time  is  in  the  latter  part  of  May  or  in  June.  The 
eggs  are  usually  three,  rarely  four  in  number,  with  a  creamy- white 
ground  of  varying  intensity ;  the  markings  are  formed  in  a  wreath 
around  the  larger  end,  or  around  the  center ;  these  are  spots  of  reddish- 
brown,  t  itnt  umber  and  lilac-gray.  In  their  short  diameter  the  eggs 
measure  from  .50  to  .59 ;  in  their  long  diameter  from  .65  to  .79 ;  the 
average  size  is  about  .74  x  .55, 

462.    Contopus  richardsonii    (Swains.)    [321.] 

WesteTii  'Wood  Pewoe, 

Hab.  W'jtcrn  North  America,  from  the  Great  Plains  to  the  Pacific;  north  to  British  Columbia  and 
interior  of  British  America;  south  in  winter  through  Mexico  and  Central  America. 

The  Western  Wood  Pewee  is  common  in  various  regions  of  West- 
ern United  States,  as  in  Colorado,  New  Mexico,  Arizona,  California, 
Oregon,  etc.  Col.  Goss  records  it  as  a  rare  summer  resident  in  West- 
ern Kansas ;  begins  laying  the  first  of  June.  Mr.  Bryant  informs  me 
that  it  is  tolerably  common  near  Oakland,  Cal.,  where  it  nests  by  pre- 
ference on  th  i  horizontal  branches  of  alders,  about  fifteen  feet  from  the 
ground.  According  to  Mr.  Emeison  it  is  not  at  all  common  about 
Hayward,  Cal.  A  nest  taken  May  22,  1881,  was  placed  on  the  large 
horizontal  Innb  of  a  sycamore,  thirty  feet  from  the  ground ;  another, 
taken  in  Santa  Cruz  county.  May  26^  was  also  built  in  a  similar  posi- 
tion at  a  height  of  fortj'  feet.  At  Fort  Klamath,  Oregon,  Dr.  Merrill 
found  the  nests  usually  built  on  a  horizontal  pine  branch,  often  at 
a  considerable  elevation ;  sometimes  they  are  placed  against  upright 
twigs,  and  others  merely  saddled  on  the  bare  limb.  Only  one  was 
found  in  an  aspen  tree.  They  averaged  rather  deeper  than  the  nests  of 
C.  z'irens,  and  were  not  coated  with  lichens.  The  nests  of  the  Western 
Wood  Pewee  do  not  differ  widel}  from  those  of  the  typical  vtrens,  except 

•■''  A  large  aeries  of  the  Wood  Pewees'  nrits  which  I  have  pericnally  taken  in  the  pa.it  ten  years  are 
before  me.  The  best  of  them  are  far  inferior  in  design  to  even  th«  poorest  nests  hiiilt  by  \\i:  Blue-gray  Gnat- 
catcher  and  Ruby-throated  Hummingbird,  whose  structures  have  high  walis,  gracefully  turned  brims,  deeply 
cupped  interiors  and  highly  artistic,  lichen-covered  exteriors.  Some  of  the  nests  of  the  Wood  Pewee  are 
scantily  ornamented  with  lichens,  are  very  ^tllow,  and  at  once  sugge'^t  a  one-story,  flimsy,  poverty-stricken 
home.  ■',■■  ,  ./,; 


f '  ■:" 


NORTH    AMERICAN    BIRDS. 


247 


that  they  are  rarely  ornamented  with  lichens.  The  eggs,  too,  are  similar — 
creamy-white,  marked  with  spots  of  chestnut-browu,  umber  and  lilac- 
gray  in  wreaths  about  the  larger  end  or  center  of  the  eggs ;  the  nmber  de- 
posited ranges  from  t-.vo  to  four,  usually  three.  A  set  of  three  in  my  cab- 
inet collected  in  Douglass  county,  Colorado,  June  lo,  1887,  have  the  fol- 
lowing measurements:  .67X.57,  .69 x  .57,  .65X.57.  Mr.  Norris'  collec- 
tion contains  two  sets  of  three  eggs  each,  taken  at  Fort  Klamath,  Oregon, 
June  19  and  20,  1888.  They  measure  by  sets:  .67X.54,  .66X.53, 
.66X.54;  .63X.52,  .66X.51,  .69X.53.  The  color  of  the  markings  in 
these  eggs  are  paler  than  those  of  C.  virens. 

463.    Empidonax  flaviventris    Baird.    [322.] 

'ifellow-bellied  Flycatcher. 

Hab.  Eastern  North  America  to  the  Great  Plains,  south  in  winter  through  Eastern  Mexico  and  Cen- 
tral America.     Breeds  from  Northern  United  States  northward. 

A  common  bird  in  Eastern  United  States,  where  it  frequents 
thickets,  swamps  and  woodland.  It  does  not  seem  to  Have  been  met 
with  or  observed  during  the  breeding  season  so  commonly  as  other 
members  of  the  genus  Empidonax^  which  is  doubtless  due  to  the 
peculiarity  of  its  nidification,  and  from  its  limited  breeding  area  within 
the  United  States.  Its  note  is  as  much  entitled  to  the  name  of  song 
as  many  of  the  Warblers  and  other  Oscuics. 

A  nest  containing  four  eggs  was  foi\nd  by  Mr.  H.  A.  Purdy  on  June 
18,  in  Aroostook  county,  Maine,  at  the  edge  of  a  wooded  swamp,  built 
in  a  ball  of  green  moss  in  the  roots  of  an  upturned  tree,  two  feet  from 
the  ground.  It  was  composed  of  dry  moss,  and  the  outside  was  faced 
with  the  same  in  its  beautiful  green  state.  It  was  large  for  the  size  of 
the  bird,  and  was  lined  mostly  with  fine  black  roots,  a  few  pine  needles 
and  grass  stems.  June  10,  1878,  Mr.  S.  D.  Osborne  found  a  nest  of 
this  species,  with  four  eggs,  on  the  island  of  Grand  Manan.  It  was 
built  in  a  good-sized  hummock  of  moss  at  the  edge  of  some  low  woods. 
The  cavity  extended  in  about  two  inches,  and  was  about  four  inches 
deep,  lined  with  a  few  grasses,  black,  hair-like  roots,  etc.  Another 
nest,  similar  in  construction,  was  found  by  Mr.  Osborne  in  Oxford 
county,  Maine,  in  a  bunch  of  moss  under  the  roots  of  a  small  tree  in 
swampy  woods,  bordering  a  small  stream. 

Two  nests  of  this  bird  were  taken  at  Fort  Fairfield,  Maine,  by  Mr. 
Charles  F.  Batchelder.  One  found  June  14  was  in  wet  mixed  woods 
of  spruces,  arbor  vitcEs  and  hemlocks ;  it  was  on  the  edge  of  a  bank  of 
a  small  brook,  in  a  decayed  tree  trunk,  and  partly  sunk  in  the  sur- 
rounding moss.  This  nest  contained  four  eggs.  The  second  nest, 
which  also  contained  four  eggs,  taken  June  27,  was  deeply  sunk  in  the 


ii 


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248 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OP 


soft,  green  moss  on  the  side  of  the  stump  of  a  fallen  tree.*  Mr.  Fred- 
erick B.  Spaulding  records  the  finding  of  a  nest  similar  to  those  de- 
scribed, near  Lancaster,  New  Hampshire,  June  14,  i886.t  Mr.  Spauld- 
ing's  nest  contained  five  fresh  eggs.  The  eggs  are  usually  four  in 
number,  buffy  or  creamy-white,  speckled  and  spotted,  chiefly  around 
the  larger  end  with  rusty-brown  or  cinnamon.  The  average  size  is 
.70X.50.  The  measurements  of  .Mr.  Batchelder's  two  sets  are  as  fol- 
lows :  .68  X  .52,  .68  x  .52,  .66 x  .51,  .66  x  .51 ;  .70  x  .54 ;  .67  x  .54,  .67  x .  53, 

.67X.51. 

464    Empidonax  dlfflcilis    Baird    [323.] 

'Western  Flyoatoher.  t 

Hab.  Western  United  States,  from  the  edge  of  the  Great  Plains  to  the  Pacific;  north  to  Sitka,  south 
in  winter  to  Western  Mexico. 

The  Wes^-evn  Yellow-bellied  Flycatcher  is  an  abundant  species 
throughout  its  United  States  range.  Its  general  habits,  nesting  and 
eggs  are  similar  to  those  oi  flaviventris.  Mr.  Walter  E.  Bryant  men- 
tions a  nest  of  this  species  found  by  Mr.  A.  M.  Ingersoll,  which  was 
built  at  the  bottom  of  a  hole  five  inches  deep,  made  by  a  Red-shafted 
Flicker  in  a  live  oak.  Mr.  Emerson  states  that  in  California  this  bird 
nests  in  hollows  in  banks  and  along  creeks,  in  natural  cavities  of  trees 
and  among  the  roots  of  fallen  ones,  and  in  some  of  the  most  out-of-the- 
way  places ;  in  tall  Australian  gum  trees  and  in  corners  of  rail  fences. 
Nest  composed  of  shreds  of  roots,  dead  leaves,  cobwebs,  bits  of  fine 
grass,  and  liued  with  finer  grasses  and  a  few  feathers. 

A  set  of  four  eggs  is  in  my  collection,  taken  by  Mr.  Ingersoll,  May  2, 
1886.  The  nest  was  placed  on  rocks  four  feet  from  running  water. 
These  specimens  measure  as  follows :  .64  x  .50,  .67  x  .53,  .63  x  .49, 
.64  X  .50.  The  eggs  are  creamy-white,  spotted  and  finely  speckled  with 
cinnamon  or  reddish-brown,  in  some  quite  thickly  about  the  larger  end, 
often  forming  a  complete  ring,  again  well  sprinkled  over  the  entire  sur- 
face ;  three  or  four,  sometimes  five  in  number;  average  size  . 69 x. 51. 

465.    Empidonax  acadicus    (Gmel.)    [324.] 

Aoadian  Flyoatgher. 

Hab.     Eastern  United  States,  south  in  winter  through  Eastern  Mexico  and  Central  America. 

A  common  bird  in  the  woodlat  "s  of  Eastern  United  States,  where 
it  is  also  known  as  the  Small  Green-crested  Flycatcher.  Breeds  more 
or  less  abundantly  in  nearly  all  the  Mississippi  Valley  region,  even  as 
far  south  as  Eastern  Texas,  Southern  Louisiana  and  Alabama.  Col. 
Goss  gives  it  as  not  uncommon  in  Eastern  Kansas,  where  it  arrives  the 

<•  For  a  detailed  account  of  these  nesis  and  eggs,  see  Bull.  Nutt.  Ornith.  Club,  Vol.  Ill,  pp.  166-168- 
187-188;  Vol.  IV,  pp.  240-242. 

t  Ornithologist  and  Oologist,  XII,  pp.  133-;34. 
X  Baird's  Flycatcher  in  the  A,  O.  U   Check  List. 


yiT/>^gp<i  — ■'<;'''niwii'y^.^j;!;'»fj>»jji?'^'^j!'i^'ijl!^  L ffiy?!lA-^l!i 


III"'    ! 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


249 


first  of  May  and  begins  laying  early  in  June.  Messrs.  Keyes  and 
Williams  record  it  as  a  summer  resident  of  Iowa,  but  not  common ; 
several  nests  have  been  taken  near  Des  Moines  during  the  past  few 
years.*  In  New  England  the  Acadian  Flycatcher  is  of  rare  occurrence. 
In  Ohio  and  the  bordering  States  it  is  an  abundant  species.  Regions 
timbered  with  large  trees,  and  overgrown  with  bushes,  low  trees,  vines 
and  weeds  are  its  favorite  resorts.  The  birds  love  to  penetrate  the 
shadowy  depths  of  the  forest,  and  delight  to  rear  their  young  in  the 
most  quiet  and  gloomy  spots. 

Rarely,  if  ever,  is  the  nest  built  in  isolated  trees,  but  frequently 
in  those  along  lonely  wagon-roads  or  at  the  "border  of  woods.  In 
these  quiet  retreats  the  observer  is  often  startled  by  the  bird's 
loud,  quick  and  emphatic  note,  what-(V-see^  what  cV-ye-see^  coming 
from  an  unseen  performer,  who  is  perched  in  the  lower  branches. 
The  distance  of  the  nest  from  the  ground  vax^js  from  three  to  twenty 
feet,  and  it  is  usually  suspended  in  a  horizontal  fork  at  the  extremity 
of  a  low  limb.  In  manner  of  attachment  it  resembles  the  nests  of  the 
Vireos,  being  fastened  by  the  brim,  while  the  bottom  is  unsupported. 
Sometimes,  as  when  in  vines  or  bushes,  it  is  suspended  between  two 
parallel  stems.  On  the  whole,  it  is  a  '  ^ose,  rustic  fabric,  made  of  grasses, 
catkins,  weed-fibres  and  shreds  of  bark,  and  when  just  finished  consider- 
able quantities  of  grass  hangs  from  the  periphery  of  the  nest,  giving  it 
a  slovenly  appearance. 

Two  or  three  eggs  are  the  number  deposited  by  this  species.  In 
only  two  instances,  out  of  the  large  number  which  I  have  collected, 
have  I  found  nests  with  four  eggs,  and  in  both  cases  one  egg  was  badly 
addled.  Their  color  is  a  light  yellowish-bufi"  of  varying  intensity,  with 
a  decided  flesh-color  tint  when  fresh.  The  markings  are  of  a  light  red- 
dish or  bay  or  rusty-brown  color,  and  are  found  either  in  specks  or  spots 
grouped  chiefly  about  the  larger  end.  Ten  specimens  offer  the  follow- 
ing sizes:  .70X.53,  .70X.56,  .70X.53,  .72 X. '=4,  .75 X. 54,  .77X.58,  .-J^Tf. 
.56,  .78X.  57,  . 77  X. 56,  .78X.57.  An  aver.ige  egg  measures  .74X.54. 
T'  e  eggs  are  not  distinguishable  from  those  of  traillii^  except  that  the 
ground-color  and  marking    in  those  of  acadicus  are  generally  darker. 

466.    Empidonax  pusillus    (Swains.)     [325.] 

liittle  Flycatcher. 

Hab.    Western  North  America,  from  the  Great  Plains  to  the  Pacific,  north  to  Site's  and  Fort  Simpson, 

According  to  Dr.  Coues  this  bird  replaces  the  true  trailli  from  the 
plains  to  the  Pacific,  and  "  is  the  usual  '  little  flycatcher '  in  Western 

*  A  Preliminary  Annotated  Catalogue  of  the  Birds  of  Iowa:  By  Charles  R.  Keyes  and  H.  S.  Wil- 
iams,  M.  D.  Extracted  from  Proceedings  of  Davenport  Academy  Natural  Sciences,  Vol.  V.  Davenport, 
Iowa:    1888,  p.  23. 


! 


i^iil  'I 


250 


NESTS  AND   EGGS   OF 


woodland,  generally  distributed,     Habits,  nests  and  eggs  counterparts 
of  those  of  traillii.'''' 

A  nest  containing  a  set  of  three  eggs,  collected  by  S.  C.  Evans, 
near  San  Jose,  California,  May  26,  is  in  my  cabinet.  The  nest  was 
placed  in  the  forks  of  a  small  bush,  three  feet  from  the  ground.  Its 
composition  is  chiefly  vegetable  fibres,  loosely  put  together ;  the  lining 
is  of  the  same  material,  but  of  finer  shreds,  and  horse  hair.  The  eggs 
have  a  pale  yellowish-buff  ground-color,  spotted  and  speckled  at  the 
greater  end  with  light  reddish  and  madder-brown ;  sizes,  .73  x  .53, 
.74X.51,  .74X.53. 

466(2.    Empidoaax  pusillus  tralUii    (Aud.)    [325a.] 

Traiirs  Flycatcher. 

Hab.     Eastern  North  America,  south  in  winter  t'lroiigh  Central  to  Northern  South  America. 

Traill's  Flycatcher  breeds  from  the  Northern  United  States  north- 
ward, and  as  far  south  as  Southern  Illinois  and  Missouri.  The  locality 
usually  selected  as  a  nesting  site  by  this  species  is  in  a  thick  growth 
of  alders  bordering  a  stream,  or  in  the  deep  solitude  of  a  lonely  wood, 
where  it  is  associated  with  the  Acadian  Flycatcher  during  the  breeding 
season.  Wherever  found  breeding  traillii  is  more  abundant  than  is 
generally  supposed,  but  from  its  retiring  habits  is  little  known. 

Our  illustration  represents  a  typical  nest  of  Traill's  Flycatcher, 
taken  in  June,  1885,  placed  in  a  clump  of  alders.  They  are  scarcely 
ever  placed  higher  than  eight  feet  from  the  ground ;  in  most  cases 
about  four.  In  nearly  all  instances  they  are  built  in  an  upright  fork, 
and  have  a  strong  resemblance  to  the  usual  structure  of  the  Yellow 
Warbler,  but  lack  in  compactness  and  neatness.  The  external  or 
greater  portion  of  the  nest  is  composed  of  hempen  fibres,  internally 
lined  in  true  Flycatcher  style  with  fine  grasses.  In  some,  however, 
there  is  a  slight  lining  of  horse-hair  and  of  the  down  from  the  milk- 
weed or  thistle.  A  typical  nest  measures  two  and  a  half  inches  in 
height  and  three  in  diameter,  with  a  cavity  one  inch  and  a  half  in 
diameter  and  two  inches  deep. 

Three  eggs  is  the  usual  complement,  although  four  is  not  uncom- 
mon, and  they  are  often  found  in  varying  stages  of  incubation.  The 
ground-color  of  the  eggs  is  extremely  variable.  In  some  it  is  of  a 
cream,  in  others  approaching  buff.  In  four  sets  there  is  a  striking 
variation  in  the  distribution  of  the  markings.  They  are  usually 
marked,  chiefly  at  the  larger  end,  with  blotches  of  red  and  reddish- 
brown,  and  while  in  some  the  markings  are  simply  very  small  dots  spar- 
ingly sprinkled  over  the  surface,  in  others  these  dottings  are  scarcely 
visible,  giving  them  the  appearance  of  an  almost  unspotted  surface. 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


261 


IS 


Six  eggs  exhibit  the  following  measurements:  .72X.55,  .70X.53, 
.7OX.52,  .64X.53,  .69x,52,  .70X.53.  An  average  specimen  measures 
.73X.53.  The  eggs  of  trailli ox^  paler  in  ground-color  and  markings 
than  those  of  acadicus,  but  the  difference  is  so  slight  that  no  one  can 
diflferentiate  them  with  certainty.  '  " 

'  467.    Empidonax  minimus    Baird.    [326.] 

I<«aBt  Flyoatoher. 

Hab.  Sastern  North  America,  south  in  winter  through  Central  to  Northern  South  America.  Breed* 
from  the  Northern  States  northward. 

In  all  the  States  between  the  Atlantic  and  the  Great  Plains  the 
Least  Flycatcher  is  an  abundant  species,  occurring  as  a  migrant  and 
breeding  from  about  40°  latitude  northward.  Breeds  abundantly  in  New 
England  and  throughout  all  the  Northern  States — New  York,  Michigan, 
Wisconsin,  Minnesota,  etc.  An  abundant  summer  resident  in  Mani- 
toba. Adult  and  young  specimens  have  been  taken  at  San  Angelo, 
Texas,  during  the  breeding  season.  It  is  reported  as  breeding  com- 
monly at  Fannin  county,  Texas,  and  sometimes  in  the  State  of  Nebraska. 
The  bird  frequents  the  borders  of  woods  and  thickets,  particularly  the 
edges  of  lowland  forests  and  the  more  open  swamps. 

The  nest,  commonly  placed  in  an  upright  fork  of  a  small  tree  or 
sapling,  sometimes  on  a  horizontal  limb,  is  small,  compact  and  felted 
of  fine,  soft  materials — bark-fibres,  intermingled  with  vegetable  down, 
lined  with  fine  grasses  and  shreds  of  bark,  or,  as  is  frequently  the 
case,  with  a  few  feathers. 

The  nest  bears  a  strong  resemblance  to  that  of  the  Redstart,  and  the 
eggs  cannot  be  mistaken  for  those  of  any  of  our  Flycatchers  of  the  East- 
ern States,  as  they  are  wholly  unlike  any  of  them.  They  are  normally 
pure  white  or  buffy-wliite,  unmarked^  rarely  speckled  ;  their  number  is 
sometimes  only  two  or  three,  usually  forr,  and  their  average  size  is 
.65X.50.  Seven  eggs  measure  .60X.50,  .62X.50,  .64X.51,  .64X.52, 
.65X.53,  .63X.50,  .64X  .51.     May  and  June  are  the  nesting  months. 

468.    Empidonax  hammondi    (Xantus)    [327.] 

Hannnond's  Flyoatoher. 

Hab.     Western  North  America,  south  in  winter  to  Southern  Mexico,  north  to  the  Lesser  Slave  Lake. 

The  Western  representative  of  the  Least  Flycatcher  from  the 
Plains  to  the  Pacific.  The  nesting  and  eggs  are  said  to  be  substantially 
like  those  of  E.  minimus.  On  account  of  its  general  plain,  soiled  color 
it  is  called  Dirty  Little  Flycatcher. 

469.     Empidonax  obscurus.     (Swains.)    [328.] 

Wright's  Flyoatoher. 

Hab.     Western  United  States,  south  to  South-rn  Mexico,  east  to  Rocky  Mountains. 

The  Gray  Little  Flycatcher  is  common  to  the  woodland,  groves 


I 


Hi)! 


252 


NESTS  AND   EGGS  OF 


and  thickets  of  the  Western  States  and  Territories.  During  the  breed- 
ing season,  in  the  region  about  Fort  Klamath,  Oregon,  Dr.  Merrill 
usually  found  it  in  groves  of  aspens  in  company  with  the  Warbling 
Vireo ;  also  among  the  pines  with  Cassin's  Vireo  and  the  Western  Wood 
Pewee. 

The  nests  were  most  frequently  built  in  young  aspens,  at  an 
average  height  of  about  six  feet.  They  resemble  nests  of  the  Yellow 
Warbler,  which  are  found  in  the  same  localities ;  but  all  the  nests  of 
the  Flycatcher  were  built  against  the  main  trunk,  while  all  of  the 
Warbler  were  on  branches  and  generally  higher  from  the  ground.  The 
nests  are  composed  externally  of  strips  of  light  gray  bark  of  about  the 
same  colors  as  the  bark  of  the  aspens,  and  partly  on  this  account  and 
because  of  their  location  the  nests  are  liable  to  escape  notice  if  careful 
search  is  not  made.  The  lining  is  sometimes  a  smooth,  felted  mass  of 
fur  and  horse-hairs,  in  others,  feathers  are  used,  and  the  nests  are  gen- 
erally more  deeply  cupped  than  is  usual  with  this  group.  Pairs  that 
are  found  among  the  pines  usually  place  their  nests  in  an  upright  form 
of  a  manzanita  or  buck-brush  that  grow  abundantly  in  such  localities. 

The  eggs  are  dull,  buffy-white  ;  seven  sets  of  twenty-seven  speci- 
mens average  .68  x.  53,  the  extremes  of  the  sets  being  .65  x  .50  and 


.72x57. 


471.    Pyrocephalus  rubineus  mexicanus    (Scl.)    [  330.] 

Vermilion  Flycatcher. 


Hab.  Southern  border  of  the  United  States  (Southern  Texas  to  Arirona),  south  through  Mexico  to 
Guatemala. 

Along  the  Rio  Grande  of  Southern  Texas  and  in  Southern  Ari- 
zona the  beautiful  Vermilion  Flycatcher  is  a  common  species.  Mr.  W. 
E.  D.  Scott  notes  it  as  a  common  species  about  Riverside,  Tucson, 
and  Florence,  Arizona.  During  the  breeding  season  the  male  fre- 
quently utters  a  twittering  song  while  poised  in  the  air,  in  the  manner 
of  the  Sparrow  Hawk ;  during  the  song  it  snaps  its  bill  as  if  catching 
insects.  Thickets  along  water-courses  are  this  bird's  favorite 
resorts. 

The  nests  are  usually  placed  in  horizontal  forks  of  ratana  trees, 
often  in  mesquites,  not  more  than  six  feet  from  the  ground ;  they  are 
composed  of  small  twigs  and  soft  materials  felted  together,  and  the 
rims  covered  with  lichens  ;  the  cavity  is  shallow.  A  few  horse  or  cow 
hairs  comprise  the  lining.  Dr.  Merrill  states  that  they  bear  consider- 
able resemblance  to  nests  of  the  Wood  Pewee  in  appearance  and  the 
manner  in  which  they  are  saddled  to  the  limb.  Mr.  Brewster  describes 
a  nest  taken  by  Mr.  F.  Stephens  on  the  25th  of  April,  at  Tucson, 

<-Auk  111,258. 


NORTH  AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


253 


he  breed- 
r.  Merrill 
A^arbling 
rn  Wood 

s,  at  an 
e  Yellow 
nests  of 
1  of  the 
ad.   The 
bout  the 
>unt  and 
•  careful 
mass  of 
ire  gen- 
lirs  that 
ht  form 
calities. 
n  speci- 
.50  and 


Mexico  to 

rn  Ari- 
Mr.  W. 
*ucson, 
le  fre- 
aanner 
tching 
ivorite 

■  trees, 
ey  are 
id  the 
)r  cow 
isider- 
id  the 
cribes 
icson. 


Arizona,  which  lacks  the  exterior  coating  of  lichens.*     Others  were 
found  by  Mr.  Stephens  of  a  similar  construction. 

The  usual  number  of  eggs  is  three ;  the  ground-color  is  a  rich 
creamy-white,  with  a  ring  of  large  brown  and  lilac  blotches  at  the  larger 
end.  Dr.  Merrill  gives  the  average  size  of  fourteen  eggs  as  .73X.54. 
A  set  of  three  eggs  in  Mr.  Norris'  cabinet  was  taken  in  Cochise  county, 
Arizona,  May  21,  1888.  The  nest  was  placed  in  a  sycamore  tree  near 
a  running  stream.  The  eggs  are  pale  creamy-biiff,  with  bold  spots  and 
blotches  of  seal-brown  and  lilac-gray,  in  a  circle  around  the  center  of 
each  egg.  They  measure,  respectively,  .71X.53,  .69X.53,  .80X.53. 
Six  other  sets  in  the  same  cabinet  show  great  variation. 

[473.]    Alauda  arvensis    Linn.     [299,] 

Skylark. 

Hab.     Europe  and  portions  of  Asia  and  Africa;  accidental  in  the  Bermudas  and  in  Greenland. 

The  far-famed  Skylark  of  the  Old  World  holds  a  place  in  the  avi- 
fauna of  North  America  from  its  occasional  occurrence  in  the  Bermu- 
das, and  in  Greenland.  Several  attempts  have  been  made  to  introduce 
these  desirable  birds  in  Eastern  United  States,  but  so  far  the  experi- 
ments have  proved  unsuccessful.  The  Skylark  is  an  inhabitant  of  all 
the  countries  of  Europe,  and  is  said  to  be  more  plentiful  in  cultivated 
districts.  The  mating  season  is  in  April,  and  two  broods  are  reared  in  a 
season.  The  nest  is  always  placed  on  the  ground,  in  meadows  or  open 
grassy  places;  it  is  often  sheltered  by  a  tuft  of  grass,  clod  of  earth,  or 
other  projection.  The  materials  used  in  its  composition  are  grasses, 
plant  stems,  and  a  few  chance  leaves ;  the  lining  is  of  the  same,  but 
finer. 

The  eggs  are  three,  four  or  five  in  number,  and  vary  considerably 
in  form  and  coloration;  some  are  grayish-wliite  with  a  tinge  of  purple 
or  greenish-white,  thickly  sprinkled  r.nd  mottled  with  a  grayish-brown 
or  drab ;  others  are  of  a  deep  sombre  hr.e,  and  in  some  the  markings 
are  chiefly  concentrated  at  the  larger  end.  These  are  the  variations 
exhibited  in  four  sets  of  tour  eggs  each  in  my  cabinet,  taken  in  Staf- 
fordshire, England,  in  the  latter  part  of  April  and  the  first  of  May. 
The  smallest  set  offers  the  following  sizes :  .86  x.  57,  .87  x  .60,  .84  x.  58, 
.89  X  .60 ;  the  largest,  .93  x  .64,  .95  x  .64,  .92  x  .62,  .94  x  .64,  respectively. 

474.    Otocoris  alpestris    (Linn.)    [300.] 

Horned  Larkt 

Hab.  Northeastern  North  America — Labrador,  regio'  about  Hudson  Bay,  Greenland,  and  northern 
parts  of  the  Old  World;  in  winter  south  in  Eastern  United  States  ic,  the  Carolinas,  Illinois,  etc. 

The  Shore  Lark,  the  true  aipestris^  breeds  in  northeastern  North 
America  and  Greenland,  wintering  in  the  United  vStates.     Said   to 

«Bull.  Nutt.  Ornith,  Club.  VII,  207. 


254 


NESTS  AND   EGGS  OF 


breed  abundantly  in  Newfoundland  and  Labrador.  It  also  inhabits 
northern  portions  of  the  Old  World.  The  common  name  is  derived 
from  the  tufts  of  black  feathers  over  each  ear,  which  at  will  the  bird 
has  the  power  of  erecting  like  the  so-called  "horns"  of  some  owls. 

In  the  Eastern  States,  during  the  winter  months,  flocks  varying 
in  size  from  a  dozen  to  those  of  a  hundred  or  more,  may  be  seen  fre- 
quenting open  plains,  old  fields,  dry  shores  of  bays,  and  the  banks  of 
rivers.  As  there  are  a  number  of  geographical  varieties  of  the  Horned 
Lark,  the  greatest  uncertainty  has  always  attended  their  identification, 
even  by  experts,  and  the  breeding  and  winter  ranges  of  the  various 
sub-species  do  not  yet  seem  to  be  clearly  defined. 

This  was  the  species  found  by  Audubon  breeding  on  the  low, 
mossy  and  sheltered  hills  along  the  dreary  coast  of  Labrador.  In  the 
midst  of  the  mosses  and  lichens  th?,t  covered  the  rocks  the  bird  im- 
bedded its  nest,  which  is  composed  of  fine  grasses,  arranged  in  a  circu- 
lar form  and  lined  with  the  feathers  of  grouse  and  other  birds.  The 
eggs,  deposited  early  in  July,  are  four  or  five  in  number,  and  are  de- 
scribed by  Audubon  as  marked  with  bluish  as  well  as  brown  spots. 
European  eggs  are  grayish-white,  spotted  with  brownish-lavender  or 

lilac-gray. 

474a.    Otocoris  alpestris  leucolsema    (Coues)    [300a.] 

Pallid  Horned  Lark. 

Hab.  Northwestern  North  America;  in  winter  south  over  the  more  northerr  Great  Plains  and  Great 
Basin  of  the  United  States  to  Kansas,  Colorado,  Utah,  Nevada,  etc. 

This  paler  northwestern  form  of  the  Shore  Lark  breeds  from 
Alaska  southward,  east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  nearly  to  the  United 
States  boundary.  The  nest  is  built  in  a  depression  of  the  ground,  and 
sunk  a  little  below  the  surface,  usually  under  a  tuft  of  grass ;  it  is  well 
cupped  and  woven  in  a  circular  form  of  old  grasses,  lined  with  hairs. 
The  eggs  are  three  or  four,  grayish  or  pale  olive,  finely  aud  thickly 
sprinkled  with  olive-brown.     Average  size  .91  x  .65. 

474^.    Otocoris  alpestris  praticola    Hensh. 

Prairie  Horned  Lark. 

Hab.  Upper  Mississippi  Valley  and  region  of  the  Great  Lakes;  east  locally  to  New  York;  south,  in 
winter,  to  Virginia  and  Northeastern  Texas. 

The  birds  of  this  race  may  be  distinguished  from  the  typical  alpes- 
tris by  their  smaller  size  and  paler  colors.  In  the  northern  half  of  the 
Mississippi  Valley  it  breeds  abundantly,  and  as  far  south  as  Eastern 
Kansas,  where  Col.  Goss  notes  it  as  common  and  abundant.  It  begins 
laying  the  last  of  March.  The  Prairie  Horned  Lark  breeds  commonly 
in  Indiana,  Illinois,  Iowa,  Michigan,  Wisconsin  and  Minnesota.  It 
doubtless  breeds,  though  sparingly,  in  Northwestern  Ohio,  as  young 
birds  have  been  taken  in  that  section  in  Mav. 


lh>^ 


NORTH  AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


266 


Two  broods  are  reared  in  a  season,  the  first  very  early — usually 
by  the  last  of  April.  Mr.  L.  Jones,  of  Grinnell,  Iowa,  states  that  as 
many  as  three  broods  are  reared  in  that  region ;  the  first  nest  is  built 
late  in  March  or  early  in  April,  the  second  about  the  first  of  June,  and 
the  third  late  in  July  or  early  in  August.  The  highlands  of  meadows 
and  cornfields  are  its  resorts  while  breeding,  the  nest  being  placed  in 
a  hollow  of  the  earth,  compactly  made  of  dry  grasses  and  corn 
leaves,  lined  with  a  few  feathers  and  horse  hairs.  Mr.  Jones  says  that 
the  first  nest  is  most  elaborately  made,  while  the  second  and  third  are 
more  slovenly  put  together. 

Three  or  four  eggs  are  deposited,  usually  four ;  their  ground-color 
varying  from  pale  olive  or  light  greenish  to  dull  olive-buff,  thickly 
speckled  and  sprinkled  with  drab.  A  set  of  four  eggs  in  my  collection, 
taken  in  Poweshiek  county,  Iowa,  by  Mr.  Jones,  gives  the  following 
measurements:  .82x.6t,  .84  x  .62,  .82x63,  .86X.62.  Mr.  Norris  has 
five  sets  taken  in  Jasper  and  Black  Hawk  counties,  Iowa,  in  the  latter 
part  of  May  and  first  part  of  June.  The  largest  eg\x&  in  this  serico  are 
those  in  a  set  taken  June  4,  1885,  in  the  latter  county.  They  measure 
respectively  .92  x  .65,  .91  x  .64,  .92  x  .66,  .93  x  .65. 

474^:.    Otocoris  alpestris  arenicola    Hensh. 

Desert  Horned  Lark. 

Hab.     Great  Plains  and  Rocky  Mountain  region  of  the  United  States. 

This  subspecies  inhabits  the  Rocky  Mountain  regions  and  the 
Great  Basin  of  the  United  States,  coming  east  to  Dakota,  where  it 
breeds  at  least  as  far  east  as  Ramsey  county.  Col.  N.  S.  Goss  gives  it 
as  a  common  resident  in  Middle  and  Western  Kansas,  where  it  begins 
laying  early  in  April.  Nesting,  habits  and  eggs  similar  to  O.  alpestris 
praticola.     Average  size  of  the  eggs  .86  x  .60. 

Two  sets,  each  containing  three  eggs,  are  in  Mr.  Norris'  cabinet. 
They  were  both  taken  in  Larimer  county,  Colorado,  on  April  9  and  12, 
1887,  respectively.  The  nests  were  composed  of  grass  and  roots, 
and  were  sunken  in  the  ground  under  cactus  plants.  The  eggs 
are  ovate  in  shape,  of  an  olive-buflF  and  light  pea-green  ground-color, 
thickly  speckled  with  drab.  One  set  measures:  .87X.65,  .86X.64, 
.83  X  .65  ;  the  other,  .89  x  .60,  .87  x  .63,  .82  x  .60,  respectively. 

474/.    Otocoris  alpestris  giraudi    Hensh. 

Texan  Horned  Iiark. 

Hab.     Eastern  and  Southeastern  Texas. 

Mr.  Joseph  L.  Hancock  found  this  form  of  the  Shore  Lark  very 
common  on  the  flats  north  of  Corpus  Christi,  Texas,  and  on  May  27  a 
nest  with  four  eggs  was  taken.     A  set  of  three  eggs  in  Mr.  Norris' 


■  ;%• 


i 


liM 


266 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


'i>   \^- 


'mi 


collection  was  taken  April  13,  1886,  in  La  Salle  county,  Texas.  The 
nest  was  a  hollow  in  the  ground,  lined  with  a  few  dry  weeds.  The 
eggs  are  of  an  olive-buff,  densely  speckled  with  drab,  and  with  a 
wreath  of  the  same  color  at  the  larger  end.  They  measure :  .86  x  .60, 
.89X.60,  .86X.59.     The  eggs  are  elongate-ovate  in  form.         1 

474<r.    Otocoris  alpestrls  chrysolsema    (Wagl.)    [300*.] 

Mezloan  Horned  Larki 

Hab.  Southern  portions  of  Arizona  and  New  Mexico,  westward  across  Southern  California;  south 
into  Mexico. 

This  form  of  the  Horned  Lark  is  a  constant  resident  of  Mexico, 
and  it  occurs  northward  to  Southern  Arizona  and  New  Mexico,  etc. 
No  information  is  at  hand  regarding  its  nesting  and  eggs,  which  prob- 
ably differ  but  little  from  those  of  others  of  the  family. 

474/.    Otocorla  alpestris  rubea    Hensh. 

Rnddy  Horned  Lark. 

Hab.     California. 

A  'sorrel'  or  rufous-colored  race,  abundant  in  California.  Mr. 
Shields  informs  me  that  this  bird  may  always  be  seen  in  greater  or  less 
abundance  on  the  broad  plains  and  prairies  of  Los  Angeles  county,  Cal- 
ifornia. He  found  their  nests,  containing  fresh  eggs,  as  early  as  April 
15  and  as  late  as  the  middle  of  June.  The  eggs  were  three  or  four  in 
number,  commonly  four,  and  sometimes  five.  One  nest  was  found 
containing  six  eggs.  The  nest  is  u.sually  placed  in  a  depression  of  the 
ground  uuder  a  small  bush,  tuft  of  grass,  vines,  by  the  side  of  a  clod 
of  earth,  small  rock,  etc.  It  is  composed  of  fine  straw  and  grasses  lined 
with  horse  hairs.  Mr.  W.  O.  Emerson's  collection  contains  a  series 
of  this  Lark's  eggs,  collected  in  San  Diego  county,  California,  and 
in  comparing  them  with  a  large  number  of  those  from  the  East,  South 
and  Middle  States  there  is  really  no  perceptible  difference  in  their  gen- 
eral shape,  color  and  markings. 

My  cabinet  contains  thirty  eggs  of  the  Ruddy  Horned  Lark,  taken 
in  various  parts  of  California.  Their  color  is  a  pale  olive-buflf,  finely 
and  densely  sprinkled  with  a  rusty-drab  color.  Ten  specimens  meas- 
ure: .82X.54,  .84X.53,  .83X.56,  .83X.51,  .82X.57,  .80X.56,  .84X.56, 
.80X.59,  .83X.56,  .80X.56. 

474^.    Otocoris  alpestris  strigata    Hensh. 

streaked  Horned  Lark. 

Hab.  Coast  region  of  Oregon,  Washington  Territory  and  British  Columbia;  south  in  winter  to  por- 
tioas  of  California  and  Nevada. 

This  conspicuously  streaked  and  striped  Shore  Lark  is  larger  than 
the  California  bird,  O.  a.  rudea,  and  is  found  breeding  from  Oregon 
northward.  To  Dr.  James  C.  Merrill,  U.  S.  A.,  belongs  the  honor  of 
having  first  collected  the  eggs  of  this  bird.    Near  Fort  Klamath,  Ore- 


NORTH   AMERICAN    BIRDS. 


257 


ixas.  The 
:eds.  The 
Qd  with  a 
:  .86  X  .60, 

•] 

ilifornia;  south 

f  Mexico, 
sxico,  etc. 
lich  prob- 


lia.     Mr. 
er  or  less 
nty,  Gal- 
as April 
r  four  in 
IS  found 
>n  of  the 
)f  a  clod 
ies  lined 
a  series 
lia,  and 
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eir  gen- 

c,  taken 
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3  meas- 
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ter  to  por- 

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)regon 
aor  of 
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gon, May  30,  1887,  he  found  a  nest  which  on  June  4  contained  two 
eggs.  This  was  the  first  set  of  these  eggs  known,  and  remained  unique 
in  collections  until  a  second  set  was  also  found  near  Fort  Klamath, 
by  another  collector,  on  June  i,  1888,  which  is  now  in  Mr.  Norris'  col- 
lection. The  nest  was  sunken  in  the  ground,  and  was  made  of  grass, 
very  loosely  constructed.  It  contained  four  eggs.  Two  of  them  have 
an  olive-buff  ground-color,  while  the  other  two  are  of  a  light  pea- 
green.  All  are  thickly  speckled  with  lip^ht  brown.  They  are  ovate 
in  shape,  and  measure:  .83X.58,  .83x.bo,  .85X.58,  .85X.60. 

475.    Pica  pica  hudsonica    (Sab.)    [286.] 

American  Maspl** 

Hab.  Western  North  America  (except  California),  east  to  the  Rocky  Mountains,  north  to  AlMka, 
south  to  New  Mexico  and  Arizona. 

Known  as  the  Black-billed  Magpie.  A  bird  of  a  bad  reputation — 
a  rascal,  thief,  and  a  rogue  in  general,  but  like  the  Devil,  is  not  perhaps 
"as  black  as  he  is  painted."  The  camp  tales  of  many  a  western  trav- 
eler are  interspersed  with  incidents  illustrating  the  tricks  and  thieving 
propensities  of  the  Magpie.  As  pets,  their  familiarity  becomes  a  de- 
cided nuisance.  A  common  species  on  the  plains,  mountains  and  hills 
of  Colorado,  where  it  breeds  in  abundance.  The  height  of  the  nest 
from  the  ground,  Mr.  Dille  says,  ranges  from  six  to  sixty  feet ;  they  are 
often  built  in  the  branches  of  a  slender  sapling,  or  in  a  scrubby  willow. 
In  the  mountains  the  large  black  pine  tree  is  this  bird's  favorite  nest- 
ing site,  and  often  as  many  as  four  nests  are  built  in  a  single  tree. 

The  nests  are  large  and  bulky — a  rustic  lattice-work  of  sticks, 
measuring  from  two  to  three  feet  high,  though  not  more  than  twelve 
to  eighteen  inches  in  the  greatest  diameter.  The  nest  has  an  arched 
roof,  with  an  opening  on  the  side.  Sometimes  these  dome-shaped 
roofs  and  doorways  are  not  very  artistically  or  elaborately  made,  and 
the  observer  is  often  compelled  to  put  on  the  finishing  touches  with 
his  imagination.  The  sticks  are  cemented  together  with  mud,  and  the 
lining  of  the  nests  consist  usually  of  a  few  grasses  or  roots.  The 
long  tails  of  the  Magpies  may  be  observed  protruding  from  one  of  the 
entrances  of  the  nest  while  incubating. 

The  number  of  eggs  varies  from  five  to  nine,  commonly  seven, 
and  they  are  deposited  in  Colorado  as  early  as  the  latter  part  of  April, 
usually,  however,  in  May.  Dr.  Merrill  took  a  set  of  eggs  at  Modoc 
Point,  Oregon,  on  April  8.  The  eggs  are  grayish-white,  with  a  yellow- 
ish, occasionally  with  a  greenish  tinge,  spotted,  dashed  and  dotted 
with  markings  of  purplish  or  violet-brown  ;  most  thickly  around  the 
larger  end.  Ten  eggs  measure:  1.32  x.  89,  1.37X.90,  1.38X.92,  1.40X 
.94,  1.34  X. 90,  1.36  X. 89,  1.42  X. 92,  1.34  X. 89,  1.42  X. 87,  1.40  X. 93.     Mr. 

18 


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Photographic 

Sciences 
Corporation 


33  WEST  MAIN  STREET 
"^      WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

(716)  872-4503 


:%  ij>.. 


268 


NESTS  AND   EGGS  OF 


Norris  has  eggs  that  measure  as  large  as  1.57  x  .94  and  as  small  as  1.21 
X  .91.     An  average  egg  measures  1.32  x  .89. 

476.    Pica  cuttalli    Aud    [287.] 

Tellow-billed  Magpie. 

Hab.     California 

The  Yellow-billed  Magpie  is  confined  exclusively  to  California, 
where  it  breeds  abundantly ;  and  it  begins  nesting  about  the  first  of 
April.  Its  general  habits  are  like  those  of  P.  hudsonica,  and  the  nest 
is  similarly  constructed, 

.  The  eggs  range  from  five  to  nine  in  number,  usually  six  or  seven. 
They  are  of  a  light  drab,  so  thickly  marked  with  fine  cloudings  of  an 
obscure  lavender  color  as  nearly  to  conceal  the  ground,  and  to  give  the 
egg  the  appearance  of  an  almost  violet-brown.  A  set  of  six  eggs,  col- 
lected in  Whejgler  Canon,  near  Santa  Paula,  California,  exhibit  the  fol- 
lowing dimensions :  1.31  X.89,  a.28x.89,  1.31X.89,  1. 32 X. 89,  1.30 X. 88, 
1.28  X  .90.  A  set  of  six  eggs  in  my  cabinet,  taken  from  a  nest  situated 
twenty  feet  from  the  ground  in  an  oak  tree,  near  Santa  Barba,  Califor- 
nia, April  10,  1887,  oifeis  the  following  sizes:  1.30 x. 85,  1.29X.34,  1.29 
X.90,  1.30X.82,  1. 28 X. 81,  1. 25 X. 36. 

477.    Cyanocitta  cristata    (Linn.)    [289.] 

Bln«  Jay. 

Hab.     Eastern  North  Amerii-  >  except  Florida,  west  to  the  Plains,  north  to  the  Fur  Countries. 

The  well-known  Blue  Jay  is  abundant  in  Eastern  North  America, 
where  it  breeds  in  the  latter  part  of  April,  in  May  and  June,  according 
to  locality.  He  is  a  conspicuous  member  of  a  family  of  questionable 
character  and,  as  in  the  case  of  the  Magpie,  unjust  prejudices  have 
doubtless  done  much  to  brand  him  a  profligate.  His  fine  personal  dress, 
and  noisy,  boisterous  habits,  only  serve  to  make  him  the  more  promi- 
nent as  a  rowdy  full  of  cunning  traits.  Yet  no  observer  will  dispute 
that  the  sagacity  often  evinced  by  this  bird — his  forethought,  intelli- 
gence and  sensibility,  are  strongly  akin  to  reason ;  and  according  to  the 
treatment  received  from  man  he  is  justly  either  shy  or  wary,  confiding 
or  familiar. 

The  nest  of  the  Blue  Jay  is  built  in  the  branches  of  a  lonely  forest 
tree,  in  the  trees  of  orchards,  in  those  bordering  quiet  roadways  or 
lanes,  and,  where  the  bird  is  not  molested  it  is  commonly  placed  not 
far  from  dwelling-houses,  in  trees  or  bushes.  The  nest  is  large,  and 
the  materials  used  are  various — twigs,  leaves,  roots  and  vegetable  fibres 
rudely  but  strongly  interwoven  ;  often  paper,  rags,  wool  and  yarn  enter 
into  its  composition.  The  eggs  are  four  or  five  in  number,  olive-brown 
or  olive-drab,  thickly  spotted  with  dark  olive-brown.  In  some  speci- 
mens the  ground-color  is  light  or  dark  green,  similar  to  that  in  the 


NORTH  AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


259 


speci- 
in  the 


eggs  of  the  California  Jay,  in  which  the  markings  stand  out  in  strong 
contrast.  Ten  eggs  exhibit  the  following  sizes:  1.02 x. 84,  1.06X.84, 
1.10X.87,  I. II  X. 83,  1. 12  X. 82,  1. 15  X. 83,  1.14X.84,  1. 12  X. 83,  1.18X.86, 
i.i8x.86 ;  one  runt  egg  measures  .76 x.6o. 

•  477a.    Cyanocitta  cristata  florincola    Coues. 

Florida  Bine  Jay. 

Hab      Florida. 

This  is  a  smaller  bird  than  the  last,  with  less  white  on  the  tips  of 
the  secondaries  and  tail-feathers.  A  set  of  four  eggs  in  my  cabinet 
from  Florida  do  not  differ  essentially  from  those  of  C.  cristata^  having 
the  brown  type  of  coloration  for  the  ground-color. 

478.    Cyanocitta  stelleri    (Gmel.)    [290.] 

Steller'a  Jay. 

Hab.     Pacific  coast,  north  to  Sitka,  south  to  Northern  California. 

Steller's  Jay  is  an  abundant  species  along  the  Pacific  coast  from 
Northern  California  northward.  In  Oregon  it  is  a  very  common  resi- 
dent. He  is  the  same  bold,  noisy  fellow  as  is  his  eastern  cousin,  the 
Blue  Jay. 

The  nest  of  this  bird  is  built  in  firs  and  other  trees,  and  in  bushes, 
ranging  from  eight  to  twenty-five  feet  from  the  ground ;  it  is  very 
bulky,  and  made  of  large  sticks  and  twigs,  generally  with  a  supply  of 
mud,  and  a  lining  of  fine,  dry  grasses  and  hair.  The  eggs,  three  to 
five  in  number,  are  usually  pale  green  or  bluish-green,  speckled  with 
olive-brown,  with  an  average  size  of  1.28X.85.  Mr.  Norris  has  a  set 
of  four  eggs  collected  near  Salem,  Oregon,  May  4,  1888.  This  set  was 
taken  from  a  nest  in  a  thorn  bush,  twelve  feet  from  the  ground.  The 
eggs  are  light  bluish-green,  spotted  and  sprinkled  with  clove-brown; 
the  markings  are  heavier  near  the  larger  ends,  where  they  form  indis- 
tinct circles.  They  oflfer  the  following  dimensions:  1.25X.93, 1.22 x .94, 
1.19X.91,  1.23  X. 92. 

478a.    Cyanocitta  stelleri  frontalis    (Ridgw.)    [290a.] 

Blue-front«d  Jay. 

Hab.     Sierra  Nevada  rafige  (both  slopes)  from  Fort  Crook  to  Fort  Tejon. 

A  common  bird  in  the  mountains  of  California,  inhabiting  the 
whole  length  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  and  also,  it  is  said,  the  roast  ranges. 
Col.  N.  S.  Goss  found  quite  a  number  of  nests  of  the  Blue-fronted  Jay 
in  the  vicinity  of  Julian,  California,  in  the  spring  of  1884,  and  "  in  all 
cases  but  one,  in  holes  and  trough-like  cavities  in  trees  and  stubs, 
ranging  from  four  to  fifty  feet  from  the  ground,  generally  ten  to  twenty 
feet.  The  nest  found  outside  was  built  upon  a  large  horizontal  limb 
of  an  oak  close  beside  a  gnarl,  the  sprout-like  limbs  of  which  thickly 
covered  the  nest  overhead,  and  almost  hid  it  from  view  below."    They 


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260 


NESTS  AND   EGGS   OF 


•were  quite  bulky,  loosely  made  of  sticks,  stems  of  weeds,  and  lined 
■with  fibrous  rootlets  and  grasses ;  and  as  they  were  all  built  at  or  near 
the  opening,  the  tell-tale  sticks  projected,  and  made  the  finding  of  the 
nest  not  difl&cult. 

Col.  Goss  gives  the  color  of  the  eggs  as  light  blue,  speckled  and 
spotted  with  dark  brown,  rather  thickest  at  large  end,  and  the  meas- 
urements of  two  sets  as  follows :  one  taken  May  19, 1.20X  .87, 1.20  x.  88, 
1. 21  X. 88;  May  21,  1.21X.88,  i,i5x.86,  1.19X.86, 1.16X.85.  Mr.  W.  O. 
Emerson  informs  me  that  the  nests  in  the  vicinity  of  Haywards,  Cali- 
fornia, are  placed  in  oaks,  redwood  and  other  tall  trees.*  Mr.  Norris  has 
a  set  of  three  eggs,  collected  by  Mr.  A.  M.  Ingersoll,  May  19,  1888,  at 
Julian,  California.  The  nest  was  inside  of  an  immense  oak  stub,  about 
fifteen  feet  from  the  ground,  and  the  eggs  were  far  advanced  in  incu- 
bation. They  are  cf  a  light  grayish-blue,  speckled  and  spotted  with 
burnt  umber.     Their  sizes  are :  1.26X.86,  1.30X.85,  1.21  x.85. 

478<J.    Cyanocitta  stelleri  macrolopha    (Baird.)    [290*5, 290^.] 

Iions-orested  Jay. 

Hab.  Rocky  Mountain  region,  especially  southerly,  from  Utah,  AriTOna  and  New  Mexico  north  to 
Southern  Wyoming. 

A  common  bird  in  the  southern  Rocky  Mountain  region.  In  some 
portions  of  the  pine  districts  of  Arizona  the  birds  are  permanent  resi- 
dents. They  are  mated  by  the  latter  part  of  April,  and  nests  with  eggs 
may  be  found  in  May.  It  is  a  very  numerous  species  in  Northern  New 
Mexico  and  Colorado,  where  it  is  a  constant  resident.  Large,  noisy 
troops  of  this  species  are  to  be  found  roving  about  during  the  winter 
months.  Their  notes  at  times  are  said  to  resemble  those  of  the  Blue 
Jay.  Mr.  Dille  states  that  in  Colorado  the  nest  of  the  Long-crested  Jay 
is  built  in  trees  or  bushes,  but  generally  artfully  concealed  in  a  bunch 
of  rubbish  at  the  top  of  a  pine  or  spruce.  It  is  rather  large  and  coarse, 
made  of  small  sticks  and  weed-stalks,  with  little  or  no  lining. 

Nests  with  eggs  have  been  found  all  through  June.  The  eggs, 
Mr.  Dille  says,  are  invariably  five  in  number,  of  a  light  green,  with 
fine  markings  of  dark  olive-brown  and  lighter  cloudings  of  purplish  or 

*  A  strange  departure  from  the  usual  habits  of  Jays  is  noted  of  the  Blue-fronted  Jay  by  Mr.  Bryant. 
In  Placer  county,  California,  the  birds  had  persisted  in  building  within  the  snow-sheds  in  spite  of  the  noise 
and  smoke  of  passing  trains.  "The  destruction  of  their  nests  by  the  men  employed  on  the  water  train 
which  makes  two  tiips  a  week  through  the  sheds  duri-  "  the  summer,  sprinkling  the  woodwork  and  tearing 
down  the  nests  of  Jays  and  Robins  with  a  hook  attached  to  a  pole,  seemed  not  to  discourage  them.  So  accus- 
tomed do  the  Jays  become  to  the  passing  of  trains,  that  they  will  often  remain  on  their  nesti  undisturbed.  In 
one  season  more  than  two  hundred  nests  of  Jays  and  Robins  were  destroyed,  so  the  train  men  say,  between 
Cisco  and  Summit,  a  dintance  of  thirteen  miles.  Some  of  the  nests  were  but  partially  built,  others  contained 
eggs,  these  latter  ones  having  probably  been  •vcrlooked  on  previous  trips.  The  nesting  of  the  Jays  within 
the  snow-sheds  is,  so  Mr.  Ingersoll  supposes,  to  avoid  the  persecution  of  squirrels.  None,  he  thinks,  how- 
ever, succeed  in  rearing  a  brood,  for  of  more  than  thirty  nests  which  he  found,  nearly  all  were  uncompleted." 
—"Unusual  Nesting  Sites,"  No.  II. 


and  lined 
at  or  near 
ng  of  the 

kled  and 
he  meas- 
r.2ox.88, 
^r.  W.  O. 
rds,  Cali- 
rorris  has 
,  1888,  at 
lib,  about 
1  in  incu- 
ted  with 


xico  north  to 

In  some 

mt  resi- 

ith  eggs 

:rn  New 

e,  noisy 

winter 

he  Blue 

ted  Jay 

bunch 

coarse, 

eggs, 
n,  with 
alish  or 

r.  Bryant. 

the  noise 
ater  train 
id  tearing 

So  ac^us- 
urbed.  In 
,  between 
contained 
ys  within 
nks,  how- 
npleted." 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


261 


S?i^ 


violet-brown,  and  in  shape  are  more  elongated  than  those  of  the  Blue 
Jay.  Their  size  ranges  from  1.20  to  1.32  in  length  by  .80  to  .89  in 
breadth. 

479.  Apheloooma  floridana    (Bartr.)    [391.I 

„  L     ^.    .  J  Florida  Jay. 

Hab.    Florida. 

The  geographical  distribution  of  this  beautiful  species  is  confined 
to  the  limited  area  of  Florida.  In  some  districts  it  is  abundant,  while 
in  others  it  is  extremely  rare.  Mr.  Stuart  regards  it  as  not  very  abund- 
ant in  the  region  about  Tampa,  where  it  nests  in  March  and  April, 
usually  among  a  thick  growth  of  bushes. 

The  nest  is  a  flat,  compact  structure,  composed  of  leaves,  small 
dry  sticks,  lined  with  moss,  roots,  fibrous  plant-stems  and  often  with 
wool  and  feathers.  The  eggs  of  the  genus  Aphelocoma  usually  have 
more  of  a  greenish  ground  and  heavier  markings  than  those  of  CyanO' 
citta.  Mr.  Stuart  says  that  four  or  five  eggs  are  generally  laid  by  the 
Florida  Jay,  of  a  light  blue  or  greenish  ground,  sparingly  sprinkled 
with  rufous  and  black,  the  spots  being  larger  and  more  numerous 
towards  the  larger  end ;  average  size,  i.oox  .80. 

480.  Aphelocoma  woodhousei    (Baird.)    [292.] 

'Woodhonse's  Jay. 

Hab.  Middle  Province  of  the  United  States,  from  New  Mexico  and  Arizona  north  to  Colorado,  Utah, 
Nevada,  Wyoming,  Montana,  Idaho  and  Eastern  Oregon. 

Woodhouse's  Jay  is  more  or  less  common  throughout  the  States 
and  Territories  mentioned  in  the  above  habitat.  It  is  generally  not  so 
abundant  as  the  Long-crested  Jay,  and  frequents  the  scrub-oak  and 
other  thickets  on  the  open  hillsides.  The  nest  is  built  in  bushes  and 
thickets,  or  in  low  trees  of  thick  foliage,  and  from  three  to  six  eggs 
are  deposited. 

Mr.  Norris  has  a  set  of  five  eggs  of  this  species,  taken  in  Weber 
county,  Utah,  April  10,  1888.  The  nest  from  which  the  eggs  were 
taken  was  placed  in  a  sage  bush  two  feet  from  the  ground,  and  was  com- 
posed of  twigs,  lined  with  fine  roots  and  hair.  The  eggs  were  fresh, 
and  are  of  a  pale  bluish-green,  spotted  with  burnt  umber  and  laven- 
der-gray. They  measure  1.03 x. 80,  i.oix.80,  1.07 x. 80,  1.02 x. 82, 
1.05 x. 80.    The  average  size  is  1.06 x  .80. 

481.    Aphelocoma  caUfornlca    (Vie.)    [293  ] 

California  Jay. 

Hab.  Pacific  coast  of  the  United  States,  from  Southern  California  to  Oregon,  east  to  Western  Nevada. 

A  common  species  from  the  southern  portion  of  Caliiornia  north- 
ward to  Oregon,  inhabiting  the  trees  and  thickets  bordering  streams  in 
the  valleys.     It  also  frequents  the  chapparal  and  sagebrush  patches^ 


fet  I; 


> , 


!'5 


fc 


!'l 


262 


NKSTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


I"  I 


and  prefers  the  realms  of  solitude  to  the  haunts  of  man.  It  is  nearly 
always  found  in  company  with  the  California  Thrasher,  Harporhyn- 
chus  redivivus,  whose  tastes  in  regard  to  the  general  surroundings  are 
similar.  Mr.  Shields  says  that  in  Los  Angeles  county  this  bird  begins 
building  about  the  first  of  May,  but  fresh  eggs  can  be  found  as  late  as 
the  last  of  June  ;  they  are  usually  four,  sometimes  five  in  number. 

The  nest  is  large  and  bulky,  usually  placed  in  scrub-oak  or  in  the 
thick  portions  of  chapparal ;  it  is  composed  of  twigs,  roots  and  dry 
grasses.  The  color  of  the  eggs  is  a  dark  sea-green  or  blush-green, 
thickly  dotted,  spotted  and  sometimes  blotched  with  clove-brown, 
chestnut,  light  buff,  dark  brown  and  bluish  gray.  A  set  of  five  eggs 
measure:  1.06  x. 82,  1.08  x. 72,  1.09  x. 84,  i.iox.81,  1.09x80.  Ten 
specimens  average  1.08 x. 80. 

482.    Aphelocoma  sieberii  arizonse    Ridgw.    [295.] 

Arizona  Jay.  , 

Hab.    Southern  New  Mexico,  Arizona  and  Northwestern  Mexico. 

According  to  Mr.  Scott  the  Arizona  Jay  is  an  abundant  species 
and  resident  wherever  the  live-oaks  are  found  on  the  San  Pedro  slope 
of  Las  Sierras  de  Santa  Catalina,  in  Southern  Arizona,  between  the 
altitudes  of  3000  and  7000  feet.  It  is  an  eminently  gregarious  and 
sociable  bird;  even  during  the  breeding  season  a  number  of  pairs 
may  be  found  nesting  in  the  same  locality. 

March  16  a  nest  was  found  by  Mr.  Scott  apparently  completed  but 
containing  no  eggs ;  it  was  built  in  a  sapling  about  ten  feet  from  the 
ground,  and  was  composed  of  dry  rootlets  laid  very  loosely  in  concen- 
tric rings ;  there  was  no  lining,  and  the  walls  of  the  structure  average 
about  three-quarters  of  an  inch  in  thickness;  interior  diameter,  five 
inches;  greatest  interior  depth,  an  inch  and  three-quarters — a  flat, 
saucer-like  fabric.  It  was  not  built  in  a  crotch,  but  where  several 
small  twigs  leave  the  large  branch.  All  other  nests  found  resembled 
this  one.  On  the  25th  the  nest  war.  visited  again,  and  the  female  was 
sitting,  but  no  eggs  had  been  laid,  and  further  out  on  the  same  branch 
another  nest  was  built.  Two  other  nests  were  found  the  same  day 
about  one  hundred  feet  away ;  in  one  a  female  \,  :.s  sitting  on  two  eggs, 
which  was  thought  at  the  time  to  be  the  full  set.  The  eggs  were  fresh, 
and  so  much  like  those  of  the  Robin,  in  color  and  general  appearance, 
as  to  be  almost  indistinguishable  from  them.  These  two  eggs  meas- 
ured 1. 18 x. 88,  1. 13 x. 86.  April  i  the  two  nests  first  mentioned  were 
visited,  and  although  the  old  bird  was  sitting  on  the  nest  earliest  com- 
pleted, it  contained  no  eggs,  but  on  April  7  Mr.  Scott  was  rewarded  by 
finding  five  fresh  eggs  in  this  nest,  identical  in  appearance  with  those; 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


26S 


t  is  nearly 
farporhyn- 
idings  are 
'ird  begins 

as  late  as 
mber. 

or  in  the 
3  and  dry 
ish-green, 
ve-brown, 

five  eggs 
80.     Ten 


t  species 
Iro  slope 
i^eeu  the 
tons  and 
of  pairs 

ted  but 
rom  the 
concen- 
average 
er,  five 
-a  flat, 
several 
mbled 
le  was 
branch 
le  day 

fresh, 
ranee, 
meas- 
were 
com- 
idby 
:hose 


above  described,  and  measure  1.25X.83,  i.i3x,85,  1.23X.83,  1.14X.80, 
i.i6x  .84.  The  other  nest  at  this  time  did  not  nor  several  weeks  after 
contain  eggs.* 

483.    Xanthoura  luxuosa    (Less.)    [296.] 

Oreen  Jay. 

Hab.     Eastern  Mexico,  north  to  the  Rio  Grande  valley  in  Texas. 

Dr.  Merrill  sf^ites  that  the  Rio  Grande  Jay  is  a  common  resi- 
dent about  Fort  Brown  and  higher  up  the  river,  but  does  not  seem  to 
pass  much  into  the  interior  of  Texas.  Mr.  George  B.  Sennett  says: 
"  Of  all  the  birds  on  the  Lower  Rio  Grande,  this  is  the  most  mischiev- 
ous, robbing  and  despoiling  other  birds'  nests  without  mercy." 

Its  nest,  Mr.  Sennett  observes,  is  not  easily  found,  for  it  is  always 
concealed  in  thickets,  or  in  the  heavy  undergrowth  of  dense  woods. 
A  large  series  of  eggs  was  taken.  Of  those  obtained  early  in  April, 
few  were  freshley  laid,  while  all  those  obtained  in  May  were  fresh,  in- 
dicating that  a  second  brood  is  reared,  though  no  young  of  the  first 
brood  were  seen,  while  numbers  of  adults  were  observed  daily  from 
April  9  until  the  last  of  May.  On  April  19  the  first  eggs  were  taken, 
two  sets  being  found ;  one  of  four  with  large  embryos,  the  other  of 
five,  nearly  fresh.  The  latest  set,  consisting  of  four  fresh  eggs,  was 
found  May  17.  The  usual  number  of  eggs  to  a  clutch  is  four,  occasion- 
ally five.  The  average  size  of  the  specimens  collected  by  Mr.  Sennett 
in  a  season  is  1,06 x. 81,  those  taken  in  another  season's  collecting, 
1.08 X. 81.  Dr.  Merrill  describes  the  eggs  as  having  a  grayish-white 
ground-color,  thickly  spotted  with  brown  and  pale  lilac,  especially  at 
the  larger  end.  One  set,  however,  was  found  with  the  markings  more 
numerous  at  the  smaller  end,  and  averaging  i.oi  x.So. 

484.    Perisoreus  canadensis    (Linn.)    [297.]  ' 

Canada  Jay. 

Kab.  Northern  New  England  and  New  York,  Northern  Michigan  and  Canada,  northward  to  Arctic 
America. 

The  Moose-Bird,  Whisky  Jack,  or  Whisky  John,  as  it  is  variously 
called,  breeds  in  Maine  and  northward.  It  is  a  resident  species,  and 
seldom  seen  south  of  its  breeding  range.     In  Manitoba  it  is  an  abund- 

"  Perhaps  no  explanation  can  be  offered  for  the  preparation  of  the  nest  so  long  before  it  is  used. 
The  first  nest  was  evidently  complete  on  March  16,  and  it  contained  no  eggs  it-itil  later  than  April  1;  the  first 
eggs  must  have  been  deposited  between  that  date  and  the  7th.  Mr.  Scott  states  that  the  same  facts  have 
been  noted  in  the  breeding  of  the  Gray  Vireo  {Vireo  vicinior).  As  to  the  circumstance  of  the  bird  sitting  so 
constantly  before  laying  he  suggests  that  it  is  not  improbable  that  it  was  in  order  to  keep  possession  of  their 
nest,  for  as  a  number  of  individuals  of  the  species  composed  the  colony  a  question  of  ownership  might  easily 
arise.  He  observes  that  the  Arizona  Jay  is  as  great  a  robber  of  other  birds'  nests  as  its  cousin  of  the  East,  and 
possibly  the  haba  of  sitting  so  constantly  even  before  any  eggs  are  laid,  is  to  be  accounted  for  by  a  strongly 
inherited  tendency  to  prevent  intrusion.  The  building  of  extra  nests  finds  a  parallel  in  the  case  of  the  LoBg- 
billed  Marsh  Wrens,  and  is  possibly  to  be  accounted  for  by  the  nervous  activity  of  the  birds;  or,  the  extra 
nett  may  afford  night  resting  places  for  the  male  during  tt.e  breeding  season. — Auk,  III,  pp.  81-88. 


I'L 


t 


rif 


m 


jfifsmmsmmum 


264 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OP 


ant  bird.     Its  general  habits  and  nesting  are  in  nowise  peculiar,  being 
similar  to  those  of  others  of  the  family. 

The  nest  is  usually  a  large,  bulky  structure,  placed  on  the  bough 
of  a  spruce  or  other  evergreen.  It  is  made  of  twigs,  pine-needles, 
bark-strips  and  grasses,  lined  with  finer  vegetable  material  and 
feathers.  The  nesting  time  in  Northern  Maine  au  New  Brunswick 
is  March  and  April.  The  eggs  are  light  gray,  with  a  ,  iMowish  tinge, 
finely  marked,  more  abundantly  at  the  larger  end  with  dots  and 
blotches  of  slate  color  and  brown,  and  faint  cloudings  of  an  obscure 
lilac,  exhibiting  the  usual  variations  in  color  and  size  found  in  the 
eggs  of  other  Jays ;  four  or  five  in  number ;  average  size,  1.17  x  .80. 

484a.    Perisoreus  canadensis  capitalis    Baird    [397a.] 

Rooky  M onntaln  Jay. 

Hab.    Rocky  Mountains,  south  to  Arizona  and  New  Mexico. 

This  bird  is  called  the  White-headed  Jay  or  Rocky  Mountain 
Whisky  Jack — a  race  of  the  Canada  Jay,  but  very  much  different.  It 
is  peculiar  to  the  Rocky  Mountain  region,  and  is  especially  common 
in  Northern  New  Mexico  and  Colorado.  In  the  breeding  season  it  is 
found  high  up  in  the  mountains  in  the  spruce  timber,  from  8000  feet 
to  timber  line.  He  is  said  to  be  "as  big  a  thief  as  ever  wore  feathers." 
White-headed,  he  at  times  appears  grave  and  sedate,  but  is  always 
possessed  of  a  whimsical  brain.  Small  articles  around  camp  that 
strike  his  fancy  are  always  found  missing  after  one  of  his  visits. 

Nest-building  is  begun  usually  in  April.  The  site  generally 
chosen  is  the  horizontal  branch  of  a  pine,  varying  in  height  from  fifty 
to  sixty  feet  from  the  ground.  The  materials  are  twigs,  pine-needles, 
bark,  grasses  and  hempen  fibres,  all  compactly  interwoven  into  a  rude, 
bulky  but  strong  structure ;  it  is  warmly  lined  with  the  feathers  and 
down  of  birds.  The  external  height  is  about  four  inches,  and  the 
diameter  seven ;  the  cavity  about  two  inches  deep  and  four  across. 
The  eggs  are  three  to  five  in  number,  grayish-white  in  ground-color, 
finely  speckled  with  various  shades  of  brown ;  in  some  specimens  the 
markings  are  more  numerous  about  the  greater  end.     Size,  i.i6x.86. 


Hab. 


485.    Perisoreus  obscurus    (Ridgw.) 

Oregon  Jay. 

Northwest  coast,  from  Northern  California  to  British  Columbia. 


[298.] 


Mr.  A.  W.  Anthony  mentions  this  species  as  a  common  winter  res- 
ident of  Washington  county,  Oregon.  In  March  they  depart  for  the 
mountains  to  breed,  although  a  few  sometimes  remain  to  breed  in  the 
more  secluded  parts  of  the  country.  He  characterizes  it  as  a  bird  utterly 
devoid  of  fear.    While  dressing  deer  in  the  thick  timber  he  has  been 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


266 


liar,  being 

the  bough 
e-needles, 
erial  and 
Jrunswick 
ish  tinge, 
dots  and 
,n  obscure 
nd  in  the 
7  X  .80. 


Mountain 
erent.  It 
'  common 
ason  it  is 
8000  feet 
feathers." 
is  always 
imp  that 
ts. 

generally 
rom  fifty 
-needles, 
o  a  rude, 
:hers  and 
and  the 
r  across, 
nd-color, 
mens  the 
.i6x.86. 


nter  res- 
;  for  the 
d  in  the 
d  utterly 
las  been 


almost  covered  with  these  Jays ;  they  would  alight  on  his  back,  head 
and  shoulders,  and  there  tug  and  pull  at  each  loose  shred  of  his  coat 
as  if  assisting  him  in  all  ways  possible. 

On  March  31,  1884,  he  took  a  nest  with  five  eggs,  the  first,  proba- 
bly, ever  taken.  The  nest  was  placed  about  eighty-five  feet  from  the 
ground,  in  a  fir,  and  well  concealed.  It  was  built  close  against  the 
trunk,  and  was  composed  of  sticks,  twigs  and  moss,  rather  loosely  put 
together,  lined  with  cow-hair,  wool,  and  one  or  two  grouse  feathers. 
The  eggs  were  very  light  blue,  with  a  grayish  cast,  thickly  covered 
with  spots  of  brown  and  lilac,  chiefly  on  the  larger  ends.  In  one  spec- 
imen were  a  few  black,  hair-like  lines  over  the  larger  end.  Size, 
1.04  X. 79. 

486.    Corvus  corax  siimatus    (Wagl.)    [280.] 

Mezloan  Raven.  ^ 

Hab.    Western  United  States  and  south  to  Guatemala.     (Ridgw.) 

An  inhabitant  of  the  regions  west  of  the  Mississippi,  where  it  is 
common.  A  set  of  this  bird's  eggs,  four  in  number  (oological  collec- 
tion of  J.  Parker  Norris),  was  taken  April  12,  1888,  in  San  Jacinto 
valley,  California.  The  nest  was  placed  in  the  crevice  of  a  large  rock, 
and  was  an  old  one,  it  having  been  in  use  for  many  years.  It  was 
composed  of  sticks,  hair,  etc.  The  eggs  are  pale  bluish-green,  spotted 
and  dashed  with  olive.  They  measure  1.90x1.24,  1.94x1.25,  1.92 x 
1.22,  1.84x1.21. 

*  *    Corvus  corax  principalis    Ridgw. 

Northern  Raven,  t 

Hab.  Northern  North  America,  from  Greenland  to  Alaska,  south  to  British  Columbia,  Canada,  New 
Brunswick,  etc.     (Ridgw.) 

In  former  years  the  Raven  appears  to  have  been  not  uncommon 
in  the  northern  New  England  States,  but  is  now  considered  very  rare, 
and  late  records  of  its  occurrence  there  are  very  few.  It  breeds  occa- 
sionally on  the  cliffs  of  the  island  of  Grand  Manan,  and  more  fre- 
quently iarther  east,  as  in  New  Brunswick,  Nova  Scotia,  Newfound- 
land, etc.  It  is  rather  a  common  resident  along  the  whole  coast  of 
Labrador.  Forest-clad  clififs  of  great  rivers,  the  crags  of  lonely  islands 
in  the  ocean,  wooded  lakes  and  streams  in  solitary  regions  are  the 
haunts  of  this  sable-plumed,  ominous  bird. 

The  Rev.  J.  H.  Langille  states  that  in  Nova  Scotia  nesting  begins 
early  in  March.  The  site  chosen  for  the  nest  is  usually  the  most  inac- 
cessible tree  or  rocky  clifi";  sometimes,  however,  it  is  built  in  the  flat- 
topped,  low  spruces,  as  is  the  case  on  Mud  and  Seal  Islands,  on  the 

*  N*.  486  is  called  American  Raven  in  the  A.  O.  U.  Check  List. 

t  A-new  sub-species,  with  larger  bill,  etc.,  than  Corvtit  corax  tinuatut  —  tee  Ridgway'i  Manual  N.  A. 
Birdi,  p.  361. 


\ 


r 


1^ 


'4' 


i'i' 

m 


f.SI 


'Ill 


266 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


southwestern  coast  of  Nova  Scotia.  The  nest  Ts  made  of  large  sticks, 
closely  and  artistically  arranged,  with  a  lining  of  coarse  grasses,  sea- 
weed and  wool.  The  same  nest  is  repaired  from  year  to  year,  and  in 
course  of  time  becomes  quite  bulky.  Tne  eggs  are  four  to  six  in  num- 
ber. A  set  of  five  eggs  is  in  my  cabinet,  which  was  collected  by  Mr. 
H.  Pope,  near  South  West  Point,  on  the  island  of  Anticosta,  off  the 
mouth  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  April  21,  1887.  The  nest  was  built  in 
cliffs  facing  the  sea,  and  the  eggs  were  secured  only  after  a  dangerous 
scramble  over  banks  of  ice  and  snow.  Like  the  eggs  of  the  crow, 
these  are  subject  to  great  variation  in  markings.  The  ground-color  is 
pale  bluish-green  or  light  olive-green.  They  are  spotted,  blotched, 
streaked  or  dashed  with  purple  and  greenish-brown  ;  some  specimens 
are  so  densely  marked  as  to  almost  wholly  obscure  the  ground-color, 
giving  the  specimens  a  dull  greenish-gray  appearance.  Four  of  the 
specimens  in  the  set  of  five  are  of  this  type,  while  the  other  is  of  a 
brilliant  bluish-green,  sparsely  marked  with  blackish-brown  and  ob- 
scure lilac.  Their  sizes  are:  1.85x1.24,  1.90x1.30,  2.04x1.32,  2.07X 
1.34.  A  set  of  five  eggs  is  in  Mr.  Norris'  collection,  taken  April  8,  1875, 
on  the  island  of  Grand  Manan,  from  a  nest  in  a  fir  tree,  twenty-five 
feet  from  the  ground.  It  was  made  of  sticks,  moss  and  bark,  lined 
with  wool.  The  eggs  have  a  chromium-green  ground-color,  spotted 
and  blotched  with  olive.  They  measure:  1.86 x  1.33,  1.81  x  1,33,  1.80 x 
1.31,  1.83x1.33,  1.80XI.35. 

487.    Corvus  cryptoleucus    Couch.    [281.] 

'Wlilte-neoked  Raven. 

Hab.  Southwestern  United  States  and  table-lands  of  Mexico,  north  to  Indian  Territory,  Kansas, 
Colorado  and  Southern  California,  south  to  Guatemala. 

The  White-necked  Raven  is  an  abundant  species  throughout  most 
of  its  range.  The  bird's  general  appearance  and  its  nesting  habits  are 
similar  to  those  of  the  common  crow,  with  which  it  is  often  con- 
founded. 

From  four  to  seven  eggs  arc  laid  by  this  species,  and  they  have,  on 
the  whole,  markings  of  a  lighter  color  than  the  eggs  of  other  species 
of  Corvus ;  and  in  addition  they  have  lines  running  from  one  end  of 
the  &gg  to  the  other,  somewhat  after  the  manner  of  those  on  the  genus 
Myiarchus^  of  the  Flycatchers,  of  which  the  most  familiar  example  is 
the  Crested  Flycatcher,  M.  crinitus.  This  peculiarity  is  typical  of  the 
species,  and  is  found  constant  in  a  large  series  in  the  collection  of  the 
National  Museum,  at  Washington.  A  set  of  five  eggs  in  Mr.  Norris' 
cabinet  was  taken  May  16,  1888,  in  Cochise  county,  Arizona,  from  a 
nest  in  an  oak  tree.    The  eggs  are  of  a  pale  bluish-green,  spotted  with 


NORTH  AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


267 


large  sticks, 
passes,  sea- 
ear,  and  in 
»ix  in  num- 
:ted  by  Mr. 
sta,  off  the 
as  built  in 
dangerous 

the  crow, 
id-color  is 

blotched, 
specimens 
und-color, 
>nr  of  the 
er  is  of  a 
I  and  ob- 
32,  2.07  X 
il  8,  1875, 
'enty-five 
trk,  lined 
,  spotted 
3>  1.80  X 


"■y,  Kansas, 

ut  most 
bits  are 
-n  con- 

ave,  on 
species 
2nd  of 
genus 
ople  is 
of  the 
of  the 
I^orris* 
rom  a 
I  with 


clove-brown,  and  profusely  streaked  with  longitudinal  lines  of  olive- 
gray.  They  measure:  1.74x1.19,  1.77x1.21,  1.67x1.18,  1.76x1.18, 
1.77  X  1. 21. 

488.    Corvus  americanus    Aud.    [282.] 

Amarloan  Crow. 

Hab.    Eastern  North  America  except  Southern  Florida  and  Arctic  reaioni. 

An  abundant  bird  in  all  the  Eastern  States,  where  it  is  well 
known.  The  nest  is  built  .a  woods,  preferably  in  high,  thick  forest, 
and  the  tree  selected  is  one  of  thick  foliage.  In  pine  regions  the  cedar 
is  the  favorite  tree.  The  altitude  is  usually  so  great  that  the  nest  is 
practically  inaccessible.  In  quiet,  solitary  places,  however,  I  have 
found  it  placed  not  more  than  ten  or  fifteen  feet  from  the  ground.  It 
is  built  of  twigs  and  sticks,  sometimes  of  considerable  size,  firmly  in- 
terlaced, while  weeds  and  grass,  often  with  clods  of  earth  attached, 
form  part  of  the  structure.  The  lining  is  of  leaves,  grapevine  bark 
and  fine  grasses. 

The  nesting  season  is  in  April  and  May,  or  June,  and  sometimes 
even  in  March.  From  four  to  six,  and  occasionally  seven  eggs  are 
laid.  These  vary  from  a  pale  bluish  to  an  olive-green,  and  from 
almost  unmarked  specimens  to  those  which  appear  of  a  uniform  olive- 
green,  so  dense  and  small  are  the  markings.  The  typical  egg,  how- 
ever, is  of  a  light  sea-green,  thickly  spotted  and  blotched  with  dark 
brown,  almost  black,  with  purplish  reflections ;  these  are  chiefly  about 
the  larger  end.     Size  1.70  x  1.20. 

488a.    Corvus  americanus  floridanus    Baird.    [2820.] 

Florida  Crow. 

Hab.    Southern  Florida. 

A  set  of  four  eggs  from  Manatee  county,  Florida,  taken  April  15, 
is  in  my  cabinet,  and  measure  1.62x1.18,  1.62x1.19,  1.66x1.18, 
1.62x1.16.  Their  color  and  markings  are  similar  to  those  of  typical 
eggs  of  C.  americanus. 


*  * 


Corvus  americanus  hesperis    Ridgw. 

California  Crow. 


Hab.  Western  United  States,  north  to  Washington  Territory  (Fuget  Sound),  Idaho,  Montana,  etd 
south  to  Northern  Mexico,  east  to  Rocky  Mountains.     (Ridgw.) 

Prof.  Ridgway  states  that  this  new  sub-species  is  a  very  strongly 
characterized  race,  which  differs  markedly  in  habits  and  notes  from 
the  eastern  bird.*  Mr.  Samuel  C.  Evans,  writing  from  San  Jose,  Cali- 
fornia, says  it  is  very  common  in  that  region,  nesting  in  the  large  trees 
of  the  bottom  lands.  Eggs  in  my  collection,  from  California,  do  not 
differ  from  those  of  C.  americanus. 

"  For  description  see  Manual  of  N.  A.  Birds,  p.  302. 


"^ 


Ml 


!'  .1 


Wi 


i 


III'" 

m 


■« 


'^^\ 


^'ii ) 


.  1 


ill! 


268  NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 

489.  Oorvns  caarinns    Baird    [aSa^.J 

Northwest  Crow. 

Htb.     Northweit  coait  from  OreKon  to  Kailiak,  Alaska. 

The  Northwestern  Fish  Crow  is  a  smaller  bird  than  the  common 
Crow  of  the  Eastern  States.  In  its  habits  it  is  i^^id  to  be  the  exact 
counterpart  of  the  Fish  Crow  of  the  Atlantic  coasi  Its  principal  food 
is  marine  crabs  or  flsh  which  it  gathers  along  the  banks  of  rivers  and 
the  shores  of  lakes.  Like  the  Raven  and  Herring  Gull,  it  carries 
clams  high  into  the  air  and  drops  them  in  order  to  break  the  shell. 

Its  nest  is  said  to  be  substantially  like  that  of  Corvus  ossifragus^ 
being  built  in  evergreens  and  oaks  growing  along  ravines;  and  the 
eggs  are  indistinguishable.  Prof.  Ridgway  gives  their  average  size  as 
1.56x1.08. 

490.  Corvus  osslfragus    Wils.     [283.] 

Fiali  Crow. 

Hab.     Atlantic  and  Gulf  Coaits  of  the  United  States  from  Long  Island  to  Louisiana. 

A  common  species  along  the  Atlantic  coast  of  the  United  States 
from  New  Jersey  to  Florida,  and  on  the  Gulf  coast  to  Louisiana.  It 
is  called  the  Southeastern  Fish  Crow. 

Mr.  Charles  S.  Schick  states  that  along  the  coast  of  Cape  May 
county,  New  Jersey,  he  has  found  sets  of  eggs  of  this  species  as  early 
as  April  13,  and  on  the  15th  of  the  same  month  observed  nests  with 
young ;  the  dates  of  laying  varying  with  the  temperature  of  the  sea- 
son. The  usual  number  of  eggs  deposited  is  five  or  six,  a  set  of  seven 
being  uncommon.  In  a  section  containing  two  hundred  evergreen 
trees,  there  were  at  least  sixty  nests,  ranging  in  height  from  twenty  to 
sixty  feet  above  the  ground.  The  composition  is  nearly  the  same  as 
in  those  of  the  common  Crow,  except  that  the  lining  consists  of  a  few 
dry  leaves  or  fine  bark-fibres.  The  bird,  Mr.  Shick  says,  feeds  largely 
on  small  crabs,  and  devours  large  numbers  of  the  eggs  of  the  Clapper 
Rail.  The  eggs  of  the  Fish  Crow  are  so  nearly  like  those  of  the  Crow 
in  color  and  markings  that  one  description  will  answer  for  both  ;  those 
of  the  present  species  are  much  smaller.  Five  specimens  measure 
1. 50x1.08,  1. 50x1.05,  1.46x1.02,  1. 51x1.06,  1.47x1.02.  The  average 
size  of  twelve  eggs  is  i.50x  1.09. 

491.    Picicorvus  columblaiius    (Wils.)    [284.] 

Clarke's  Nutoraoksr. 

Hab.  Western  North  America,  north  to  Alaska,  south  to  Arixona,  east  to  and  including  the  Rocky 
Mountains. 

Clarke's  Crow,  or  Nutcracker,  is  found  in  considerable  numbers  in 
all  suitable  localities  in  the  coniferous  forests  of  the  higher  mountain 
ranges  within  the  limits  of  the  above  habitat.  It  is  the  American  rep- 
resentative of  the  European  Nutcracker,  Nucifraga  caryocatactes.    A 


wmm 


WK\ 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


269 


e  common 
the  exact 
icipal  food 
rivers  and 
it  carries 
shell. 
ssi/raguSy 
;  and  the 
ge  size  as 


ed  States 
siana.     It 

ape  May 

as  early 

ests  with 

the  sea- 
of  seven 
vergreen 
wenty  to 
same  as 
of  a  few 

largely 
Clapper 
he  Crow 

;  those 
measure 
average 


the  Rocky 

ibers  in 
3untain 
an  rep- 
tes.    A 


remarkable  bird,  embodying  the  peculiar  habits  of  certain  woodpeck- 
ers and  those  of  some  of  the  jays — wild,  restless  and  noisy,  inquisitive 
and  cunning. 

Capt.  Bendire  found  it  breeding  quite  commonly  in  the  mountain- 
ous regions  about  Fort  Harney,  Oregon.  April  22,  1876,  two  nests 
were  found,  one  containing  a  young  bird,  just  hatched,  and  two  eggs 
with  the  shells  chipped ;  the  other  contained  three  young.  Between 
April  24  and  30  about  a  dozen  nests  were  observed,  all  containing  three 
young,  each  in  different  stages  of  development.  In  the  spring  of  1877 
not  a  single  bird  was  observed  where  they  were  found  breeding  the 
year  before,  and  their  absence  was  accoimted  for  by  the  scarcity  of  the 
seeds  of  the  pine  which  constitute  their  principal  food.  On  April  4, 
1878,  a  nest  containing  three  eggs  was  found,  and  at  this  early  date  in- 
cubation was  far  advanced.  A  set  of  two  eggs,  with  good-sized  em- 
bryos, was  taken  April  8.  All  the  nests  were  placed  in  pine  trees, 
generally  well  out  on  the  limbs,  and  from  sixteen  to  forty  feet  above 
the  ground.  Trees  with  plenty  of  branches  seemed  to  be  preferred, 
and  the  edges  of  pine  timber  to  the  interior  of  the  forests.  A  nest  is 
described  as  rather  bulky,  the  base  consisting  of  a  platform  of  small 
sticks  and  twigs,  mostly  of  the  white  sage ;  on  this  the  nest  proper  is 
placed,  which  is  composed  of  dry  grasses,  vegetable  fibres,  hypnum 
moss  and  the  fine  inner  bark  of  the  western  juniper,  all  compactly 
woven  together,  making  a  warm,  comfortable  structure.  The  sizes  of 
four  eggs,  as  given  by  Capt.  Bendire,  are  as  follows:  1.22X.95, 
1:20 X. 90,  1. 26 X. 95,  1. 30 X. 92,  respectively.  Their  color  is  a  light 
grayish-green,  irregularly  spotted  and  blotched  with  a  deeper  shade  of 
gray,  chiefly  at  the  larger  end. 

In  the  mountainous  region  southeast  of  Fort  Garland,  Colorado, 
Capt.  B.  F.  Goss  found  nests  of  this  species  under  the  same  conditions 
as  observed  by  Capt.  Bendire.  May  21a  nest  was  discovered  contain- 
ing young.  The  nests,  at  first  appearance,  according  to  both  observers, 
looked  more  like  squirrels'  nests  than  anything  else,  and  the  birds 
were  close  sitters,  even  allowing  themselves  to  be  captured  rather  than 
leave  their  nests.   During  the  breeding  season  they  are  perfectly  silent. 

492.    Cyanocephalus  cyanocephalos    (Wied.)    [285.] 

Plnon  Jay. 

Hab.  Region  between  the  Rocky  Mountain  and  Sierra  Nevada  Ranges,  from  Mexico  to  British  America. 

The  region  between  and  including  the  Rocky  Mountains  and  the 
eastern  slope  of  the  Sierra  Nevadas,  v/herever  grows  the  yellow  pine, 
the  pinon  and  the  juniper,  the  Blue  Crow,  Maximilian's  or  Pinon  Jay 
makes  its  home.    A  bird  combining  the  form  of  a  crow  and  the  color 


i: 

k 

:  U 

;  1'    , 

ill 

i4jhJ 

270 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OP 


and  habits  of  a  jay ;   of  a  restless,  roving  disposition,  but  resident 
wherever  found. 

It  breeds  in  colonies,  nesting  in  April,  May  and  June,  according 
to  locality.  Nests  containing  eggs  have  been  found  in  Nevada  by  Mr. 
H.  G.  Parker  in  the  first  part  of  May,  and  fully  fledged  young  were . 
observed  in  the  same  region  by  Prof.  Ridgway  as  early  as  April  31. 
Mr.  H.  B.  Bailey  took  a  set  of  four  eggs  in  New  Mexico  that  were  well 
incubated  Jane  5.  Capt.  B.  F.  Goss  found  this  bird  breeding  in  the 
region  southeast  of  Fort  Garland — the  western  base  of  the  Sangre  de 
Christo  Mountains,  at  an  elevation  of  about  9000  feet.  The  nests 
were  all  in  small  piuon  pines,  from  five  to  ten  feet  up,  out  some  dis- 
tance from  the  body  of  the  tree,  and  not  particularly  well-concealed. 
They  are  large,  coarse  and  deeply-hollowed  structures,  much  alike, 
being  made  mostly  of  grayish  shreds  of  som.^  fibrous  plant  or  bark, 
which  breaks  up  into  a  mass  of  hair-like  fibres,  these  forming  the 
lining,  while  some  weeds  and  grass  are  worked  into  the  general  fabric. 
The  birds  were  close  sitters,  several  not  leaving  till  the  nest  was 
shaken,  and  they  could  have  been  caught  with  the  hand.  One  nest 
contained  five  eggs,  six  contained  four  each,  and  two  three  each ;  both 
sets  of  three  were  partly  incubated.  Two  nests  were  taken  May  5,  five 
on  the  loth  and  two  on  the  nth,  1879.  The  eggs  are  quite  pointed  at 
the  small  end ; .  the  ground-color  is  bluish-white,  splashed  all  over  with 
small  spots  of  dark  brown,  thickest  at  the  large  end.  Thirteen  eggs 
measure  respectively  :  1.19X.88,  1.21X.93,  1.22X.92,  1.25 x. 91,  1.17X 
.87,  1. 18  X. 84,  1. 17  X. 85,  1. 20  X. 82,  1.17X.80;  average  1.19X.87.* 


[493.]    Sturnus  vulgaris 

starling. 


Linn.     [279.] 


Hab.     '^.urope  and  Northern  Asia;  accidental  in  Greenland. 

A  specimen  of  the  Starling,  taken  in  Greenland  in  1851, 
entitles  it  to  a  place  in  the  avifuuna  of  North  America.  It  is 
a  well-known  bird  in  Europe,  and  of  a  very  general  distribu- 
tion. Its  handsome  plumage,  sprightly,  social  habits,  retentive  mem- 
ory, and  pleasing,  imitative  voice  1  ave  made  it  a  great  favorite  as  a 
caged  bird.  It  is  said  to  live  in  flocks  the  greater  part  of  the  year, 
selecting  for  its  nest  suitable  places  in  holes  of  trees,  eaves  of  houses, 
church-steeples,  old  towers  and  ruins,  in  cliffs  or  in  high  rocks  over- 
hanging the  sea,  and  in  wooden  boxes  put  up  for  its  accommodation. 
The  material  used  for  the  nest  is  twigs,  straws  and  fine  grasses. 

The  eggs  are  four  to  six  in  number,  of  a  pale  greenish -blue  or  bluish- 
white.    A  set  of  five  eggs  collected  by  W.  Wells  Bladden,  May  4,  in 

•Bull.  Nutt.  Ornith.  Club,  VIII,  4«-44. 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


271 


It  resident 

,  according 
ada  by  Mr. 
oung  were 
3  April  21. 
;  were  well 
ing  in  the 
Sangre  de 
The  nests 
some  dis- 
concealed. 
uch  alike, 
t  or  bark, 
ming  the 
ral  fabric, 
nest  was 
One  nest 
ch ;  both 
ay  5,  five 
ointed  at 
)ver  with 
een  eggs 
I,  I.I7X 


It  is 
istribu- 
mem- 
te  as  a 

year, 
louses, 
5  over- 
3atiou. 

)luish- 
Y  4)  in 


StaflFordshire,  England,  is  in  my  cabinet,  and  exhibits  the  following 
sizes:  1.13X.84,  i.iox. 82,  i.ii  x  .83,  1.18X.79,  1.20X.79.  Mr.  Norris 
has  a  large  series,  showing  great  variation  in  size  and  shape,  and  a 
typical  set  of  six,  taken  in  Germany,  April  18,  1885,  measure:  i.iix 
.84,  1.09 X. 84,  1.09 X. 80,  1. 15 X. 81,  I.IOX. 79,  1.09 X. 83. 

494.    Dolichonyx  oryzivorus    (Linn.)    [257.] 

BttlMlink. 

Hab.     Eastern  North  America  to  the  Plains,  north  to  Southern  Canada,  south  in  winter  to  the  Wes:    * 
Indies  and  South  America.     Breeds  from  the  Middle  States  northward. 

A  familiar  bird  in  Eastern  United  States,  breeding  from  the  38th 
to  the  54th  parallel.  In  some  parts  of  the  country,  in  suitable  places, 
it  is  very  abundant.  Of  all  our  natural  songsters  the  Bobolink  is  the 
most  noted  and  popular.  Descriptions  of  his  song  so  frequently 
appear  in  literature  that  even  those  who  have  not  heard  it  must  form  a 
good  idea  of  its  enchanting  music  : 

"That  rollicking,  jubilant  whistle. 
That  rolls  like  a  brooklet  along — 
Thai  sweet  flageolet  of  the  meadows, 
The  bubblitig,  bobolink  song." 

Often  have  I  heard  him  sing  when  on  the  wing,  or  when  at  rest, 
with  the  broad,  green  meadow  and  pasture  lands  spread  before  him, 
perched  on  the  top  of  a  wind-beaten  reed,  with  his  wings  sunward 
spread,  his  head  erect,  his  white  and  black  back  glistening  in  the  sun- 
light, pouring  forth  his  "  bubble-ing  "  bobolink  notes  to  the  azure  win- 
dows of  heaven.  In  the  South  he  is  known  as  the  Rice-bird,  in  the 
Middle  States  as  Reed-bird  and  Meadow-wink,  and  in  the  North  as 
Skunk  Blackbird.  The  nesting  time  is  in  the  latter  part  of  May  or 
in  June. 

The  nest  of  the  Bobolink  is  very  hard  to  find ;  it  is  built  in  a  nat- 
ural cavity  of  the  ground,  amongst  the  tall  grass  of  meadows ; 
sometimes  it  is  sunk  in  the  depression  made  by  a  cow's  or  a  horse's 
hoof.  Fields  of  clover,  with  here  and  there  a  tall  weed-stalk  or  sap- 
ling, on  which  the  birds  alight,  are  favorite  nesting  resorts.  In  leav- 
ing the  nest  the  female  will  run  off  through  the  grass  quite  a  distance 
before  rising,  and  she  will  repeat  the  same  performance  upon  her  re- 
turn, so  that  the  nest  can  only  be  found  by  diligent  and  careful  search 
in  the  vicinity  from  which  she  arises.  The  eggs,  too,  resemble  the 
color  of  the  ground  so  closely  that  they  are  easily  overlooked.  The  nest 
i,«=  a  very  slight  affair,  made  of  dry  grasses  and  weed-stems,  arranged 
in  a  circular  form.  The  eggs  are  usually  five,  sometimes  six  or  seven 
in  number,  and  of  a  dull  white  or  grayish-white,  variously  tinged  with 
light  drab,  olive,  reddish  and  grayish-brown,  intermingled  with  laven- 


ii 

i'tfa  I 


\im 


lit;  L 
I 


:3' 


U    4 


m 
I 
-1 


ifli 


■w 


w 

111  '^ 


•I 


l!" 


ill'': 
!;i' 


M  Ih 


:  |ii: 


m 


til' 


272 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OP 


der ;  the  general  eflfect  being  that  of  a  dark,  heavily-colored  egg.  Ten 
specimens  nieasure:  .79X.55,  .80X.55,  .86x.6o,  .84X.63,  .87X.58,  .87 
X.61,  .88x.66,  .86x.6i,  .83X.60,  .85X.60.  An  average  specimen 
measures  .85  x  .64. 

495.    Molothrus  at«r    (Bodd.)    [258.] 

Cowliird. 

Hab.    Whole  of  the  United  States,  north  into  Southern  British  Columbia,  south  in  winter  to  Mexico. 

Known  as  the  Cow  Bunting  or  Cow  Blackbird  from  its  habit  of 
alighting  on  the  backs  of  cows  or  cattle,  where  it  sits  contentedly 
while  they  are  grazing.  It  is  a  notorious  parasite,  and  does 
not  build  a  nest,  but  like  the  European  Cuckoo,  lays  its  eggs 
in  the  nests  of  other  birds,  usually  in  those  of  species  smaller 
than  itself.  Generally  a  single  egg  is  deposited,  and  as  many 
as^five  have  been  found  in  a  nest.  The  exact  number  the  female  lays 
is  not  known.  Eggs  of  this  bird  are  subject  to  great  variation  in 
their  size  and  markings,  and  when  found  in  the  nests  of  such  birds 
as  the  Cardinal  Redbird,  Towhee  Bunting,  Meadow  Lark  and  Brown 
Thrasher,*  it  is  sometimes  difficult  to  readily  distinguish  "which 
is  which."  Yet  it  should  not  be  understood  that  the  Cowbird's  eggs 
look  exactly  like  those  of  the  species  just  mentioned,  for  they  really 
have,  on  the  whole,  only  a  faint  resemblance  to  them,  and  when  a 
large  series  of  either  species  is  brought  together  and  compared  with 
those  of  the  Cowbird  the  diflference  is  at  once  apparent.  Dr.  Jones 
suggests  that  when  the  egg  of  the  Cowbird  resembles  so  closely  the 
eggs  in  the  nest  where  it  has  been  laid,  as  to  make  identification  un- 
certain, it  is  a  good  plan  to  blow  all  the  eggs  and  notice  if  the  sus- 
pected egg  has  a  yelk  of  different  tint  from  the  balance  of  the  set. 
If  it  has,  it  is  strong  evidence  that  it  was  laid  by  an  intruder,  for 
almost  invariably  eggs  of  the  same  set  have  the  same  tinted  yelks. 

The  ground-color  of  the  Cowbird's  egg  is  white  or  gray,  sometimes 
obscured  by  the  abundance  of  markings.  Spots,  specks  and  blotches  are 
generally  pretty  evenly  distributed  over  the  entire  surface.  The  mark- 
ings vary  from  a  chocolate-brown  to  those  of  a  reddish  and  yellowish- 
brown.  The  whole  surface  of  an  egg  is  often  quite  densely  marked 
with  specks  the  size  of  a  pin  point,  while  the  shell  of  other  specimens 


'I'  Besides  those  above  named  the  following  are  some  of  the  nests  in  which  the  Cowbird's  eggs  have 
been  found:  Blue-gray  Gnatcatcher,  Black  and  White  Warbler,  Blue-yellow-backed  Warbler (Parula),  Worm- 
eating  Warbler,  Prothonotary  Warbler,  Maryland  Yellow-throat,  Yellow  Warbler,  House  Wren,  Warbling, 
Vellow-throated  and  Red-eyed  Vireos,  Indigo  Bunting,  Chipping  Sparrow,  American  Goldfinch,  Song  Spar- 
row, Swamp  Sparrow,  Slate-colored  Junco,  Oven  Bird,  Pewee,  Wood  Pewee,  Acadian  and  Traill's  Flycatchers, 
Black-throated  Bunting,  European  House  Sparrow  {Paster  {ii>mttticut)„\ eWovz-hTe^sted  Chat,  Bluebird, 
Orchard,  Baltimore,  Bullock's  and  Hooded  Orioles,  Scarlet  Tanager,  Kingbird,  Towhee,  Prairie  Horned 
Lark  (Otocoris  alftstrii  firaticola),  Wilson's  Thrush,  Wood  Thrush,  Red-headed  Woodpecker,  Robin  and 
Mourning  Dove. 


ii-'rnDni 


ill 


:d  egg.  Ten 
.87  X  .58,  .87 
e    sj-ecimen 


winter  to  Mexico. 

its  habit  of 
contentedly 

and  does 
ys  its  eggs 
ies  smaller 
d  as  many 
female  lays 
'ariation  in 
'  such  birds, 
and  Brown 
sh  "which 
i^bird's  eggs 
they  really 
nd  when  a 
[pared  with 

Dr.  Jones 
closely  the 
Eication  un- 
if  the  sus- 
of  the  set. 
Ltruder,  for 
.  yelks, 
sometimes 
lotches  are 
The  mark- 
yellowish- 
ly  marked 
specimens 

bird's  eggs  have 
(Parula),  Worm- 
Vren,  Warbling, 
iich,  Song  Spar- 
ll's  Flycatchers, 
Chat,  Bluebird, 
Prairie  Horned 
ker,  Robin  and 


Copyright  iSSg. 


PLATE  VIII. 


CHIMNEY   SWIFTS  AND   NESTS. 

(Chirtura  pelagica.) 


*«     ♦ 


Page  230. 


m 


•  Hf*^^^^ 


M 


'^M. 


as 


ZMLi 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


273 


is  sparsely  spotted.  Ten  specimens  selected  at  random  from  a  very 
large  series  exhibit  the  following  sizes:  .80X.62,  .82  x  .66,  .84X.62, 
.88x.66,  .89X.63,  .87X.65,  .82X.60,  .83X.64,  .89X.64,  .80X.62.  A 
common  size  is  .88  x  .64. 

495a.    Molothrus  ater  obscnrus    (Gmel.)    [258a.] 

Dirarf  Cowbird. 

Hab.     Mexico,  and  southern  border  of  the  United  States  from  Texas  to  Arizona  and  Lower  California. 

This  is  a  smaller  form,  inhabiting  the  southern  border  of  the 
United  States  from  Texas  to  Arizona  and  southward.  Its  habits  are 
identical  with  the  Cowbird  of  the  East,  and  the  eggs  are  colored  the 
same,  but  like  the  bird,  average  smaller.  Five  specimens  measure : 
.77  X  .60,  .80  x  .59,  .75  x  .59,  .70  X  .57,  .72  X  .58.  The  average  size  of  ten 
specimens  from  Arizona  is  .74 X. 59. 

496.    Callothms  robustus    (Cab.)    [259.] 

Red-eyed  Cowbird." 

Hab.  Eastern  and  Southern  Mexico,  Yucatan,  and  south  to  Panama;  north  to  the  lower  Rio  Grande 
Valley  in  Texas. 

A  bronze-colored  Blackbird  with  blood-red  iris.  Common  on  the 
Lower  Rio  Grande  in  Texas.  Dr.  Merrill  took  specimens  at  Hidalgo, 
but  they  were  not  so  abundant  at  this  point  as  lower  down  the  river, 
where  they  are  common  throughout  the  year,  a  small  proportion  going 
south  in  winter.  Those  that  remain  gather  in  flocks  with  the  Long- 
tailed  Grackles,  common  Cowbirds,  Brewer's,  Red-winged  and  Yellow- 
headed  Blackbirds. 

He  found  its  eggs  in  the  nests  of  Bullock's,  Hooded  and  the 
Orchard  Orioles,  once  in  the  nest  of  the  Yellow-breasted  Chat,  and 
Red-winged  Blackbird,  Scissor-tailed  Flycatcher  and  Texan  Cardinal 
{Pyrrhuloxia  stnuata).  The  eggs  of  the  Red-eyed  Cowbird  are  plain 
bluish -green,  similar  to  that  in  the  eggs  of  the  Blue  Grosbeak.  Dr. 
Merrill  gives  the  average  size  of  twenty  eggs  as  .90  x  .70,  the  extremes 
being  .95  x  .75  and  .82  x  .65. 

497.    Xanthocephalus  xanthoceplialus    (Bonp.)    [260.] 

Tellow-headed  Blackbird. 

Hub.  Western  North  America  to  the  Pacific,  east  regularly  to  Wisconsin,  Illinois,  Kansas  and 
Texas.    Accidental  in  the  Atlantic  States. 

The  handsome  Yellow-headed  Blackbird  is  found  generally  dis- 
tributed on  the  prairies  in  all  favorable  localities  from  Texas  on  the 
south  to  Illinois  and  Wisconsin,  thence  to  the  Pacific.  A  common  bird 
in  the  West,  nesting  in  May  and  June.  It  collects  in  colonies  to  breed 
in  marshy  places  anywhere  in  its  general  range,  often  in  company  with 
the  Red-winged  Blackbird.    The  nests  are  usually  placed  in  the  midst 

*  No.  496  in  the  A.  O.  U.  Check  List  is  MelotkrHs  oeneut  (Wagl.j,  Bronzed  Cowbird.  These  names  are 
now  applied  to  the  western  form  of  this  bird  from  Western  Mexico,  etc. 

19 


M't  \: 


sfli 


iilf-  --^iiii 


^. 


274 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


1 1 


1  I 


of  large  marshes,  attached  to  the  tall  flags  and  grasses.  They  are  gen- 
erally large,  light,  but  thick-brimmed,  made  of  interwoven  grasses  and 
sedges  impacted  together. 

The  eggs  are  stated  to  range  from  two  to  six  in  number,  but  the 
usual  number  is  four,  ^n  the  hundreds  of  sets  that  have  come  into 
my  hands  only  three  contained  five  eggs  each.  Their  ground-color  is 
dull  grayish-whito,  in  some  grayish-green,  profusely  covered  with 
small  blotches  and  specks  of  drab,  purplish-brown  and  umber.  Their 
average  size  is  1.12X.75. 

498.    Agelaius  phoeniceus    (Linn.)    [261.] 

Red-winded  Blackbird. 

J(  Hab.    Temperate  North  America  in  general,  north  to  Great  Slave  Lake,  south  to  Costa  Rica. 

The  Red-winged  Starling  or  Swamp  Blackbird  is  found  from  the 
Atlantic  to  the  Pacific,  and  as  far  north  as  the  57th  parallel,  breeding 
more  or  less  abundantly  wherever  found,  from  Florida  and  Texas  to 
the  Saskatchewan  country.  In  its  native  marshes  during  the  breeding 
season,  which  is  in  May  and  June,  a  loud  chorus  of  discord  and  har- 
mony may  be  heard  from  the  Red-wings,  and  above  all  the  strange, 
reverberating  kong-qucr-rcc^  kong-quer-ree.  The  nest  is  usually  built 
in  reeds  or  bushes  near  the  ground,  often  in  a  tussock  of  grass,  some- 
times on  the  ground,  and  once  in  a  while  at  a  considerable  elevation 
in  a  tree.  The  materials  are  usually  strips  of  rushes  or  sedges,  lined 
with  finer  grasses  and  sometimes  with  a  few  horse  hairs.  It  is  rather 
bulky,  and  not  at  all  artistic.  This  bird  nests  in  communities,  and  one 
is  quite  as  likely  to  find  several  nests  near  each  other  as  a  single  one, 
in  a  piece  of  swamp.  Nests  and  eggs  found  in  Texas  are  smaller  than 
the  average  of  those  found  in  the  more  northern  States. 

The  eggs  are  light  blue,  marbled,  lined,  blotched  and  clouded 
with  markings  of  light  and  dark  purple  and  black,  almost  entirely 
about  the  larger  end,  but  vary  considerably  in  this  respect ;  they  are 
usually  four,  rarely  five  in  number,  and  average  i.oox  .75. 

499.    Agelaius  gubernator    (Wagl.)    [261a.] 


Hab. 


Bioolored  Blackbird. 

Valleys  of  California  and  Western  Oregon,  and  south  into  Western  Mexico. 


The  Red-and-black-shouldered  Blackbird  occurs  along  the  Pacific 
coast  from  British  Columbia  south  throughout  California.  The  female 
is  not  distinguishable  from  the  female  Red-wing,  and  the  nesting  hab- 
its are  exactly  the  same,  placing  the  nests  in  watercress  or  rushes, 
along  running  streams,  ditches  and  swamps. 

The  eggs  are  light  blue  or  bluish-white,  marked  around  the  larger 
end  with  waving  lines  of  dark  brown,  lighter  in  shade  than  the  mark- 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


275 


They  are  gen- 
~n  grasses  and 

mber,  but  the 
ive  come  into 
round-color  is 
covered  with 
mber.     Their 


Costa  Rica. 

md  from  the 
llel,  breeding 
nd  Texas  to 
the  breeding 
:ord  and  har- 
the  strange, 
usually  built 
igrass,  some- 
Die  elevation 
(edges,  lined 
It  is  rather 
ies,  and  one 
single  one, 
mailer  than 

nd  clouded 
)st  entirely 
they  are 


the  Pacific 
^he  female 
sting  hab- 
or  rushes, 

the  larger 
the  mark- 


ings on  the  eggs  of  the  common  Red-wing ;  four  or  five  in  number ; 
size  from  .90  to  1.05  in  length  by  .64  to  .74  in  breadth. 

500. 


Hab. 


Agelaius  tricolor    (Nutt.)    [262.] 

Trioolored  Blackbird. 

Valleys  of  the  Pacific  coast,  from  Southern  California  to  Western  Oregon. 


This  species  is  known  as  the  Red-and-white-shouldered  Blackbird, 
and  belongs  to  California  and  Oregon ;  is  especially  abundant  in  the 
swamps  and  marshes  of  the  former  State.  Like  the  Swamp  Blackbird 
of  the  Eastern  States,  it  nests  in  the  vicinity  of  water,  in  colonies, 
usually  placing  the  nest  in  alder  bushes,  willows  and  flags.  It  is  com- 
posed of  mud,  straw  and  coarse  grass,  lined  with  finer  fibrous  material. 

The  eggs  are  of  a  light  blue,  slightly  deeper  than  the  ground- 
color of  the  Red-wing's  eggs,  marked  around  the  larger  end  with  a 
circle  of  ashy-brown,  sometimes  black,  irregular  lines  and  blotches; 
four  or  five  in  number  ;  size  i.oo  x  .60. 

501.    Sturnella  magna    (Linn.)    [263.] 

Meadowlark. 

Hab.    Eastern  North  America,  west  to  the  Plains,  north  to  Canada. 

The  Old  Field  Lark  is  a  well-known  bird  in  the  United  States 
east  of  the  Mississippi,  breeding  wherever  found,  from  Florida  and 
Texas  northward.  West  of  the  Mississippi  it  is  replaced  by  the  West- 
ern form,  Sturnella  magna  neglecta  (And.).  As  its  name  implies,  the 
meadows  and  fields  are  its  home.  In  almost  any  stretch  of  pasture- 
land  may  be  found  a  pair  or  colony  of  Meadowlarks,  and  the  sweet 
sound  of  their  wild,  ringing,  and  rather  melancholy  notes  fill  the  air  at 
short  intervals  from  sunrise  till  the  gloaming.  The  nesting  time  is  in 
May,  usually  beginning  in  the  middle  or  latter  part  of  the  month. 
The  nest  is  built  on  the  ground,  in  a  thick  tuft  of  grass ;  it  is  pretty 
compactly  made  of  coarse,  dry,  wiry  grasses,  and  lined  with  finer 
blades  of  the  same.  It  is  usually  formed  with  a  covered  entrance  in 
the  surrounding  withered  grass  through  which  a  hidden  and  some- 
times winding  path  is  made,  and  generally  so  well  concealed  that  the 
nest  is  only  to  be  found  when  the  bird  is  flushed. 

The  eggs  are  crystal-white,  more  or  less  thickly  spotted  or  dotted 
with  reddish-brown  and  purplish ,  four  to  six  in  number,  with  great 
variation  in  size,  averaging  i.iox.80. 

The  Mexican  Meadowlark,  5".  m.  mexicana  (Scl.),*  inhabits  the 
lower  Rio  Grande  Valley  and  Arizona,  southward  through  Eastern  and 
Central  Mexico  to  Costa  Rica. 


i: 


iV  i 


m 


X 


•  No.  sola,  A.  O.  U.  Check  List.— Ridg.  No.  268a, 


276  NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 

501^.    Sturnella  magna  neglecta    (Aud.)    [264.] 

Western  Meado'vrlarki 

Hth.  Western  North  America,  north  to  British  Columbia  and  Manitoba,  east  regularly  to  Dakota, 
Nebraska,  Kansas  and  Texas,  sparingly  to  Illinois  and  Wisconsin,  south  through  Western  Mexico. 

Both  of  our  Meadowlarks,  5".  magna  and  5".  neglecta^  occur  in  por- 
tions of  the  Mississippi  Valley,  overlapping  each  other  in  their  typical 
styles  for  a  distance  of  several  hundred  miles,  intermediate  specimens 
being  extremely  rare.  For  this  reason,  and  on  account  of  the  great 
difference  of  its  notes  and  other  peculiarities,  5.  m.  neglecta  should 
doubtless  be  considered  a  distinct  species.  Its  song,  according  to  those 
who  have  heard  it,  is  remarkably  fine,  less  shrill,  more  plaintive  and 
richer  than  that  of  the  Eastern  Meadowlark.* 

In  Los  Angeles  county,  California,  Mr.  Shields  states  that  the 
nesting  season  is  from  April  15  to  the  last  of  June.  Col.  Goss  gives  it 
as  a  common  bird  in  Western  and  Middle  Kansas,  where  it  begins  lay- 
ing about  the  middle  of  May.  Nesting  habits  and  eggs  are  similar  to 
those  of  5".  viagna.  The  markings  on  a  large  series  of  the  eggs  of  the 
Western  Meadowlark  before  me  are  finer  than  on  the  eggs  of  5*. 
magna.     The  average  size  of  ten  specimens  is  1.08X.84. 

[502.]    Icterus  icterus    (Linn.)    [265.] 

Tronplal. 

Hab.  Northern  South  America;  West  Indies  (introduced)  (t).  Accidental  nt  Charleston,  S.  C. 
(Audubon). 

This  splendid  Oriole  is  admitted  as  North  American  on  the 
strength  of  a  single  specimen,  shot  in  Charleston,  S.  C,  by  John  W. 
Audubon,  son  of  the  great  ornithologist.  Others  were  seen  at  the 
same  place,  and  Audubon  was  informed  that  small  groups  of  four  and 
five  subsequently  made  their  appearance  in  the  same  city  and  among 
the  islands.  Another  specimen  was  shot  which  fell  in  the  river,  and  was 
lost.  These  may  have  been  birds  that  escaped  from  cages,  but,  as  Dr. 
Brewer  observes :  "  If  his  information  was  correct,  it  precludes  the 
supposition  that  those  which  have  been  procured  are  caged  birds." 
The  Troupial  is  a  very  popular  and  desirable  cage  bird,  having  a  loud, 
clear,  flute-like  whistle,  and  when  kept  in  confinement  becomes  very 
tame.  It  is  common  to  all  the  northern  countries  of  South  America, 
where  it  is  said  to  associate  in  large  flocks. 

The  nest  is  described  as  a  large,  massive,  pensile  fabric ;  the  eggs 
are  four  or  five  in  number,  with  a  ground-color  varying  from  reddish- 
drab  to  deep  purple,  blotched  and  streaked  with  reddish-brown  and 
blackish.    Size,  i.iox.90. 

<■  For  a  description  of  the  songs  of  the  Western  Meadowlark,  see  Charles  N.  Allen's  article:  Bull, 
Nutt.  Ornith.  Club.    Vol.  VI,  pp.  145-160. 


-p.......,^„.„. 


TffTniiifWf  w  niti 


SP 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


277 


riy  to  Dakota, 
xico. 

ur  in  por- 
iir  typical 
jpecimens 
the  great 
ta  should 
?  to  those 
ntive  and 

that  the 
s  gives  it 
?gins  lay- 
iinilar  to 
:gs  of  the 
gs  of  5*. 


eston,  S.  C. 

on  the 
fohu  W. 

at  the 
'our  and 

among 
and  was 

as  Dr. 
des  the 

birds." 

a  loud, 
es  very 
tnerica, 

le  eggs 
iddish- 
m  and 

:le:    Bull. 


503.    Icterus  auduboni    Giraud    [a66.] 

Andnbon'a  Oriole. 

Hab.     Central  and  Northern  Mexico,  north  to  the  Lower  Rio  Grande  Valley  in  Texat. 

This  large  and  beautiful  Oriole  is  found  in  the  United  States  in 
the  Lower  Rio  Grande  Valley,  from  thence  southward.  Dr.  Merrill 
found  it  in  moderate  abundance  about  Fort  Brown,  where  it  is  the 
only  resident  species.  Its  usual  song  is  a  prolonged  and  repeated 
whistle  of  extraordinary  mellowness  and  sweetness,  each  note  varying 
in  pitch  from  the  preceding.  It  is  shy,  and  remains  in  the  deep  woods 
during  the  breeding  season. 

At  Lomita,  on  the  Rio  Grande,  Mr.  George  B.  Sennett  found  two 
nests  with  incomplete  sets  of  eggs  early  in  May.  At  Hidalgo  a  set  of 
four  was  taken.  The  three  nests  were  found  in  heavy  timber,  some 
ten  or  twelve  feet  from  the  ground,  are  half-pensile,  something  like 
those  of  the  Orchard  and  Bullock's  Orioles,  and  attached  to  upright 
terminal  branches.  They  are  composed  of  dried  grasses  woven  among 
the  growing  twigs  and  leaves  so  as  to  form  a  matting  light  and  firm. 
They  measure  on  the  inside  some  three  inches  in  depth  and  rather 
more  in  width.  The  eggs  Mr.  Sennett  describes  as  being  peculiar,  re- 
sembling those  of  no  other  found  in  that  region.  The  ground- 
color is  white,  covered  with  fine  flecks  of  brown,  giving  the  egg  the 
appearance  of  being  covered  with  dust.  Over  these  flecks,  and  prin- 
cipally at  the  larger  end,  are  irregular  stains  and  splashes  of  deeper 
brown,  sometimes  mixed  with  lilac,  on  which  are  coarse  dark  brown 
or  black  hieroglyphics.  Some  have  more  and  larger  splashes  th;  i 
others,  but  none  are  free  from  liie  dark,  grotesque  lines  peculiar  to  the 
eggs  of  this  family.  In  shape  they  are  less  pointed,  and  in  size  smaller 
to  size  of  bird,  than  those  of  other  Orioles.  The  shells  are  very  ten- 
der. Nine  specimens  average  in  size  .97X.71,  the  largest  being  i.oox 
.72,  and  the  smallest  .96X.67.* 

504.    Icterus  parisorum    Bonap.     [268.] 

Scott's  Oriole. 

Hab.  Central  Mexico,  north  to  sovthern  border  of  the  United  States— Texas  to  Arizona.  Lower 
California. 

Scott's,  Paris  or  Black-and-yellow  Oriole,  as  it  is  variously  called, 
is  found  more  or  less  abundantly  in  all  suitable  localities  of  Southern 
Texas,  New  Mexico  and  Arizona.  On  May  4,  1885,  Mr.  W.  E.  D.  Scott 
found  a  nest  of  this  species  containing  two  fresh  eggs,  in  Pinal  county, 
Arizona.  During  the  summer  of  1884  he  found  five  nests  in  the  same 
region,  between  May  24  and  July  i.  All  except  one  were  placed  in 
yucca  plants,  about  four .  feet  from  the  ground,  and  situated  not  far 

*  Further  Notes  on  the  Ornithology  of  the  Lower  Rio  Grande  of  Texai. 


ill 


:rr: 


mfmm^mmrm 


'll'l!' 


*il 


! 


Ill  11  - 
(III  ,  i  I  I 


278 


NESTS  AND  KGGS  OF 


from  water.  Several  were  sewed  to  the  edge  of  dead  leaves,  which, 
hanging  down  parallel  to  the  trunks  of  the  plant,  entirely  concealed 
the  nest.  These  were  semi-pensile,  and  composed  externally  of  fibres 
of  the  yucca,  fine  grasses,  cotton-waste,  twine  and  batting,  lined  with 
fine  grasses  and  cotton-waste  throughout.  A  fifth  nest,  taken  July  i, 
was  built  in  a  sycamore  tree  about  eighteen  feet  from  the  ground. 
Pensile,  being  attached  to  the  ends  of  the  twigs  very  much  like  that  of 
a  Baltimore  Oriole. 

The  nests  contained  three  and  four  eggs  each.  The  sizes  of  one 
set  of  four,  taken  May  27,  are  given  as  follows :  .96  x  .68,  .98  x  .66, 
.92  X  .68,  .96  X  .68 ;  another  set  of  four,  taken  May  30,  exhibit  the  fol- 
lowing respective  measurements :  i.oi  x  ,72,  1.02 x  .70,  .97  x  .70,  1.02  x 
.73.  The  eggs  are  usually  four  in  number,  of  a  dull  white,  with  a 
bluish  tint  variously  marked  with  small  blotches  and  fine  dottings  of 
purplish-brown,  approaching  black;  in  some  are  found  the  zigzag 
markings  common  to  the  eggs  of  the  Orioles.  ' 

505.    Icterus  cuculjatus    Swains.     [269.] 

Hooded  Oriole. 

Hab.    Valley  of  the  Lower  Rio  Grande  in  Texas,  south  through  Eastern  and  Southern  Mexico, 

According  to  Dr.  James  C.  Merrill  and  Mr.  George  B.  Sennett, 
this  is  the  most  abundant  of  all  the  Orioles  on  the  Lower  Rio  Grande 
in  Texas.  Its  home  is  in  the  woods  or  the  edges  of  forests  and  groves, 
where  the  trees  are  hung  with  pendant  tresses  of  Spanish  moss,  in 
which  the  nests  are  built.  These,  Dr.  Merrill  says,  are  perfectly  char- 
acteristic, being  most  frequently  built  in  a  bunch  of  the  hanging  moss, 
usually  at  no  great  distance  from  the  ground;  when  so  placed,  the 
nests  are  formed  almost  entirely  by  hollowing  out  and  matting 
together  the  moss  with  a  few  filaments  of  dark,  hair-like  moss  as  a 
lining.  Another  situation  is  in  a  bush  growing  to  a  height  of  about 
six  feet,  with  bare  stems,  throwing  out  irregular  masses  of  leaves  at 
the  top  which  conceal  the  nest.  A  few  pairs  build  in  the  Spanish  bay- 
onets that  grow  on  sand  ridges  in  the  salt  prairies ;  here  the  nests  are 
built  chiefly  of  the  dry,  tough  fibres  of  the  plant,  with  a  little  wool  or 
thistle-down  as  lining ;  they  are  placed  among  the  dead  and  depressed 
leaves,  two  or  three  of  which  are  used  as  supports. 

The  eggs  are  three  to  five  in  number,  white,  with  a  bluish  tinge, 
or  buff,  marked  with  hieroglyphics  and  pencilings  common  to  the  eggs 
of  this  family,  but  not  so  abundant.  These  markings  are  usually 
brown,  but,  when  profuse,  black  and  lilac  shades  appear.  The  larger 
end  is  never  free  from  markings,  and  is  frequently  covered  with  them, 
but  more  commonly  displays  them  in  the  form  of  a  band.    Dr.  Merrill 


5«3iiw 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


279 


aves,  which, 
ly  concealed 
lily  of  fibres 
:,  lined  with 
iken  July  I, 
the  ground, 
like  that  of 

sizes  of  one 
'8,  .98X.66, 
bit  the  fol- 
c  .70,  1.02  X 
lite,  with  a 
dottings  of 
the   zigzag 


rn  Mexico. 

3.  Sennett, 
^io  Grande 
nd  groves, 
1  moss,  in 
ectly  char- 
ging moss, 
laced,  the 
I    matting 
moss  as  a 
t  of  about 
leaves  at 
mish  bay- 
nests  are 
e  wool  or 
depressed 

ish  tinge, 
the  eggs 

usually 
he  larger 
ith  them, 

Merrill 


says  some  sets  are  precisely  like  large  Vireo's  eggs.    Mr.  Sennett  gives 
the  average  size,  taken  from  a  large  series,  as  .86  x  .60. 

505a.    Icterus  cucuUatus  nelsoni    Ridgw. 

Arlaona  Hooded  Oriole. 

Hab.    Southern  Arizona  nnd  Californin,  south  into  Western  Mexico  and  Lower  California. 

This  variety  of  the  Hooded  Oriole  is  a  common  breeding  bird  in 
Southern  Arizona  and  California.  Prof.  B.  W.  Evermann  found  it 
nesting  quite  numerously  as  far  north  as  San  Buenventura,  California, 
and  states  that  it  has  been  found  breeding  at  Santa  Barbara,  thirty 
miles  farther  up  the  coast,  though  not  so  commonly  as  in  Ventura 
county.  The  first  full  set  of  eggs  was  taken  May  i ;  the  average  num- 
ber to  a  set  in  that  region  is  five.  The  nests  were  generally  suspended 
in  sycamores,  often  in  live-oaks,  ranp;ing  from  five  to  fifteen  feet  from 
the  ground.  They  are  composed  jf  grass  picked  while  yet  green,  so 
that  the  nest  is  usually  of  a  bright  straw-color. 

Mr.  R.  B.  Herron  found  this  bird  breeding  at  San  Gorgonia  Pass, 
California,  in  the  months  of  May  and  June,  1883 ;  the  nests  were  placed 
in  sycamores,  ranging  from  ten  to  twenty  feet  above  the  ground.  In 
Southern  Arizona  it  was  found  breeding  abundantly  by  Mr.  W.  E. 
D.  Scott,  in  May,  June  and  July,  rearing  two,  not  infrequently  three 
broods  in  a  season ;  a  new  home  is  built  for  each  brood.  The  nests 
were  built  in  cottonwoods,  ash  and  sycamores,  from  twelve  to  forty- 
five  feet  above  the  ground ;  they  were  also  built  in  the  mistletoe  that 
grows  plentifully  on  the  mesquite  trees  in  the  region  about  Tucson. 
The  nests  were  exceedingly  variable  in  their  appearance,  composition 
and  manner  of  attachment  to  the  trees — some  were  truly  pensile,  like 
those  of  the  Baltimore  Oriole,  others  were  more  like  those  of  the 
Orchard  Oriole,  and  one  rested  on  a  stout  twig  and  could  hardly  be 
regarded  as  a  hanging  nest  at  all.  The  external  materials  were  coarse 
dry  or  green  grasses  and  yucca  fibres ;  the  linings  were  the  same,  but 
finer,  and  in  some  instances  horse-hairs  and  cotton-waste.  In  these 
nests  Mr.  Scott  found  three  or  four  eggs. 

The  eggs  vary  somewhat  in  shape,  some  being  obtuse  and  more 
spherical,  others  more  pointed  and  oblong.  They  have  a  beautiful 
white  ground,  sometimes  tinged  with  bluish,  marbled,  blotched  and 
dotted  with  large  dashes  and  irregular  zigzag  lines  of  purple,  brown 
and  black,  chiefly  at  the  larger  end.  A  complement  of  four  typical 
eggs,  collected  by  Prof.  Evermann  near  Santa  Paula,  California,  April 
13,  1881,  measure  as  follows:  .94X.66,  .94 x. 64,*". 92 x. 63,  .89X.63. 
Four  sets  of  four  eggs  each,  collected  by  Mr.  Herron,  are  before  me. 
A  set  taken  June  10,  1883,  exhibit  the  following  dimensions:  .79X.63, 


m 


1 1 


'■    'I 


III! 


i. 


hf'i 


280 


NESTS  AND  EGOS  OP 


;|il!i'  ^ 


ilii;' 


■  i 


.78X.63,  .80X.62,  .84X.62.    A  common  size  is  .84X.64,  and  the  aver- 
age of  sixteen  specimens  is  .88  x  .62. 

506.  Icterus  spurlus    (Linn.)    [370.] 

Orohard  Oriole. 

Hab.     Eaatern  United  States,  weat  to  the  Oreat  Plains,  south  in  winter  to  Panama. 

An  abundant  species  in  Eastern  United  States  during  the  breed- 
ing season,  which  is  in  May  and  June.  The  male  is  of  a  chocolate  and 
black  color ;  the  female  is  smaller  than  the  male,  and  of  a  yellowish- 
olive.  Orchards  and  groves  are  its  favorite  resorts,  and  two  broods  are 
frequently  reared  in  a  season.  The  nest  is  rarely  found  in  a  large  tree 
or  in  dense  woods,  and  the  distance  from  the  ground  is  from  five  to 
twenty  feet,  usually  about  ten.  It  is  a  handsome,  substantial  basket 
or  purse-like  structure,  woven  of  fresh  blades  of  grass  and  lined 
with  feathers.  The  grasses  soon  become  bleached,  and  long  retain 
their  pea-green  color,  giving  to  the  nest  a  beautiful  appearance.  Its 
greenness  often  makes  it  difficult  to  detect  in  the  foliage.  Double  nests 
of  the  Orchard  Oriole  are  occasionally  met  with.  A  specimen  is  in 
my  collection,  sent  me  from  Texas  by  Mr,  Singley. 

The  eggs  range  from  four  to  six,  usually  five.  They  have  a 
bluish  ground ;  the  markings  consist  of  spots,  specks,  a  few  large 
blotches,  irregular  and  zigzag  lines  of  various  shades  of  brown,  chiefly 
about  the  crown  ;  there  are  also  deep  shell-marks  of  a  purplish.  In  a 
large  series  of  eggs  the  variation  in  size  is  considerable,  measuring  as 
they  do  from  .70  to  .86  long  by  .50  to  .62  broad. 

507.  Icterus  galbula    (Linn.)     [271.] 

Baltimore  Oriole. 

Hab.  Eastern  North  America,  north  to  New  England,  Ontario  and  the  Saskatchewan  country,  west 
nearly  to  the  Rocky  Mountains,  south  through  Eastern  Mexico  and  Central  America  to  Panama. 

Known  as  the  Golden  Robin,  Firebird  and  Hangnest.  A  common 
species  in  Eastern  United  States  where,  on  account  of  its  handsome 
dress,  the  peculiarity  of  its  nest  and  its  loud  and  rather  melancholy 
whistle,  it  is  well  known.  Its  nest  is  a  masterpiece  of  workmanship, 
which,  with  its  bill,  it  weaves  and  suspends  like  a  hammock  frnn  the 
drooping  bough  of  an  elm  or  sycamore,  in  dense  foliage.  The  nest 
is  pensile  and  nearly  a  cylindrical  pouch,  suspended  from  the  extrem- 
ity of  a  branch.  The  distance  from  the  ground  varies  from  four  to 
seventy  feet.  Any  substance  combining  the  proper  length,  thickness 
and  strength  is  used  in  the  construction  of  its  nest,  consequently  the 
materials  depend  to  a  great  extent  upon  the  locality  —  long  grasses, 
strips  of  bark,  vegetable  fibres,  yarns,  wrapping  twine,  horse  and  cow 
hairs,  rags,  paper  and  other  substances  that  are  readily  accessible. 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


281 


and  the  aver- 


g  the  breed- 
hocolate  and 
a  yellowish- 
o  broods  are 
a  large  tree 
from  five  to 
ntial  basket 
and   lined 
long  retain 
irance.     Its 
ouble  nests 
^imen  is  in 

ey  have  a 
few  large 
ivn,  chiefly 
ish.  In  a 
asuring  as 


country,  west 
m. 

common 
landsome 
:lancholy 
tnanship, 
fr'^m  the 
'he  nest 
extrem- 
four  to 
lickness 
atly  the 
grasses, 
nd  cow 
essible. 


The  nest  represented  in  our  illustration  is  taken  from  a  typical  speci- 
men which  I  took  from  the  branches  of  a  sycamore  in  Franklin 
county,  Ohio,  May  23,  1884 ;  other  specimens  in  my  collection  are  not 
so  elaborately  made. 

The  number  of  eggs  laid  ranges  from  four  to  six.  The  ground-color 
is  white,  with  a  slight  roseate  tinge  when  fresh,  fading  into  a  bluish 
tint  when  blown,  marked  with  blotches,  lines,  scrawls,  and  the  usual 
hieroglyphics  common  to  eggs  of  this  genus,  irregularly  distributed 
over  the  surface,  usually  thickest  about  the  larger  end,  forming  a 
wreath.  Mr.  Norris  has  two  sets  of  this  species'  eggs  that  are  entirely 
unmarked.  A  set  of  five  measure,  respectively,  .82  x  .62,  .80  x  .62, 
.78X.60,  .84X.64,  .87X.63;  another  set,  four  in  number,  i.oox.64,  1.04 
x.64,  .98X.64,  1.08 X. 67.  A  common  size  of  the  Baltimore  Oriole's 
egg  is  .92  X  .62. 

508.    Icterus  bullocki    (Swains.)    [272.] 

Bnllook'a  Oriole. 

Hab.    Western  United  States  east  to  and  including  the  Rocky  Mountains,  south  in  winter  to  Mexico. 

This  is  the  western  counterpart  of  the  Baltimore  from  the  Central 
Plains  to  the  Pacific.  The  nests  and  eggs  of  the  two  species  are 
hardly  distinguishable.  Mr.  Shields  says  that  Bullock's  Oriole  is  not 
a  common  summer  resident  of  Los  Angeles  county,  California,  and 
it  begins  building  about  May  i.  Twenty  sets,  consisting  of  four  and 
five  eggs  respectively,  collected  by  Mr.  R.  B.  Herron,  in  the  latter  part 
of  May  and  first  of  June,  at  San  Gorgonia  Pass,  California,  are  before 
me.  In  comparing  them  with  a  large  series  of  /.  galbtda^  the  only 
difference,  apparently,  is  that  the  ground-color  of  those  of  Imllocki  is 
of  a  paler  and  clearer  bluish  tint,  upon  which  the  markings  stand 
out  in  bolder  contrast.*  The  average  size  of  fifteen  specimens  is 
.94X.62.  The  sizes  of  an  average  set  of  four  are  .89 x.64,  •93X.66, 
.93X.66,  .89X.65. 

509.    Scolecophagus  carolinus    (Mull.)    [273.] 

Rusty  Blackbird. 

Hab.  Eastern  and  Northern  North  America,  west  to  Alaska  and  the  Great  Plains.  Breeds  from 
Northern  United  States  northward. 

The  Rusty  Crackle  or  Thrush  Blackbird  is  only  a  migratory 
species  in  most  of  the  United  States,  and  is  only  seen  in  small  flocks 
in  the  spring  and  fall  during  its  passages  north  and  south.  Breeds 
from  the  northern  States  northward.  Mr.  Ernest  E.  Thompson  states 
that  it  is  an  abundant  migrant  in  Western  Manitoba,  and  breeds  com- 

*  A  set  of  five  eggs  in  this  series,  taken  June  8,  seems  to  be  unique  in  their  ground-color  and  markings. 
They  are  yellowish-buff,  with  a  homogeneous  mass  of  regular  and  irregular  concentric  rings  about  the  larger 
ends,  mingled  with  a  few  spots,  blotches  and  bold  streaks.  These  are  of  a  rich  reddish-brown,  varying  in  in- 
tensity, even  approaching  black.  There  are  also  underlying  circles  and  spots  of  purple.  Their  sizes  are 
.87  X  .65,  .88  X  .60,  .92  X  .66,  .93  x  .64,  .96  x  .66. 


,11 


282 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


monly  about  Big  Plain  and  Winnipeg,  building  the  nest  on  the  ground 
of  hair  and  fibres,  much  like  that  of  a  Savanna  Sparrow  on  a  large 
scale,  and  not  necessarily  near  water. 

A  nest  was  found  June  24  near  St.  John,  N.  B.,  by  James  W. 
Banks ;  it  contained  two  young  and  two  eggs.  The  nest  was  placed 
in  the  upper  brahches  of  a  spruce,  twenty-eight  feet  from  the  ground. 
It  was  bulky  and  large  for  the  size  of  the  bird,  composed  chiefly  of 
honeysijckle  vines  and  mixed  with  mud,  forming  a  solid  mass.  The 
smaller  qf  the  two  eggs  measured  1.09 x. 76.  The  eggs  are  described 
as  varying  from  a  grayish  to  a  light  green,  very  thickly  covered  with 
blotches  and  dotting?  of  purplish  and  reddish-brown,  without  streaks 
and  lines;  usually  four  in  number,  varying  much  in  llie  character 
of  their  markings.  The  variations  are.  as  great  as  are  those  in  the  eggs 
of  the  next  species.  The  number  laid  is  said  to  range  from  four  to 
seven  with  an  average  size  of  i.oox.76. 

510.    Scolecophagus  cyanocephalus    (Wagl.)    [274.] 

Breiirer's  Blackbird. 

Hab.  Western  North  America,  from  the  Great  Plains  to  the  Pacific,  north  to  the  Saskatchewan,  south 
to  the  table-lands  of  Mexico. 

The  Blue-headed  Grackle  is  an  abundant  species  throughout  the 
West,  breeding  in  all  suitable  localities.  In  California  it  breeds  in  im- 
mense colonies.  Mr.  Shields  states  that  in  Los  Angeles  county  it  be- 
gins nesang  about  May  i.  The  usual  number  of  eggs  laid  is  five, 
sometimes  six,  and  even  eight. 

The  nest  is  built  in  any  suitable  place — in  the  fork  of  a  large  bush 
or  live-oak  tree  and  in  garden  evergreens,  at  a  height  of  twenty  or 
thirty  feet.  It  is  large  and  bulky,  and  constructed  externally  of  a 
rough  frame  of  twigs,  with  a  layer  of  mud,  lined  with  fine  root- 
lets, grasses,  horse  and  cow  hairs.  As  many  as  a  dozen  nests  have 
been  found  in  a  single  cypress  tree.  All  the  nests  found  by  Mr.  Bry- 
ant near  Carson,  Nevada,  were  ".pon  the  ground,  usually  on  the  edge 
of  a  bank  formed  by  an  irrigating  ditch,  with  the  exception  of  one, 
which  was  built  two  feet  from  the  ground  upon  dry  tule  and  well  hiddden 
by  the  growing  stems.  In  a  large  series  of  eggs  extreme  variations  will 
be  found  in  the  shape,  color  and  size.  They  are  of  a  dull  greenish-white 
or  gray,  with  numerous  streaks  and  blotches  of  dark  brown  ;  in  some  the 
markings  are  very  large  and  of  a  lighter  shade,  in  others  smaller,  but 
so  numerous  as  to  conceal  the  ground-color.  Ten  eggs  measure : 
.96X.71;  .93X.77;  1.02  x. 70;  i.oix,76;  1.03  x. 68;  i.oox.73;  1.05  x 
.75;  1.06  x. 78;  1.07  x. 73;  1.09  X. 73. 


"'-*^-*.-«i 


»£' 


lAh 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


283 


tchewan,  soutk 


511.    Quiscalus  quiscula    (Linn)    [278.] 

Pmrple  Oraolde. 

Hab.     Atlantic  coast  of  the  United  States  (except  Southera  Florida),  north  to  Massachusetts. 

A  well-known  and  an  abundant  species  of  the  Atlantic  coast,  and 
commonly  called  Crow  Blackbird.  Its  nest  is  built  in  trees  of  almost 
any  kind,  usually,  however,  those  of  thick  foliage,  and  by  preference 
coniferous  trees.  It  is  generally  placed  on  the  boughs,  but  sometimes 
in  cavities,  and  quite  often  in  hollow  stubs  in  low  trees  near  water.  In 
secluded  places  the  nest  is  not  infrequently  built  in  bushes.  It  is  a 
loose,  bulky  affair  of  twigs,  hay  and  grasses  which  are  often  cemented 
with  mud.  The  eggs  are  four  to  six  in  number,  and  they  present  great 
variations  in  size  and  color.  They  are  light  greenish-white,  with  large 
dashes  and  irregular  streaks  of  black  and  brown,  in  oome  chiefly  at 
the  larger  end  ;  in  others  the  ground-color  is  of  a  rusty -brown ;  these 
are  marked  chiefly  about  the  larger  eud  with  cloudy  blotches  of  the 
same  color.    The  average  size  is  1.18X.84. 

511d!,    Quiscalus  quiscula  aglseus    (Baird.)    [278a]. 

Florida  Graokle. 

Hab.     Chiefly  southern  portion  of  Florida,  west  along  the  Gulf  coast  to  Louisiana. 

This  is  a  slightly  smaller  race  of  the  Crow  Blackbird  than  the 
preceding.  Eggs  in  my  cabinet  collected  in  the  vicinity  of  Charlotte 
Harbor,  Florida,  do  not  differ  in  size  or  coloration  from  those  of  quiscula 
or  ceneus.     The  nesting  season  is  in  April,  May,  and  June. 


IWb. 


[278^.] 


Quiscalus  quiscula  SBueus    (Ridgw.) 

Bronsed  Graokle. 

Hab.  liJtstern  North  America,  from  the  Alleghanies  and  New  England  north  to  Hudson  Bay,  west  to 
the  Rocky  Mountains. 

The  Bronzed  Crow  Blackbird  is  a  very  common  species  every 
where  in  its  range.  It  begins  nesting  in  favorable  seasons  as  early  as 
the  middle  of  March,  and  by  the  latter  part  of  April  many  of  the  nests 
are  finished  and  incubation  has  begun.  Other  nest?  may  not  be  com- 
pleted until  sometime  in  May.  It  nests  anywhere  in  trees  or  bushes, 
on  boughs  or  in  hollow  limbs  or  stumps  at  any  height.  A  clump  of 
evergreen  trees  in  a  lonely  spot  is  a  fav'orite  site ;  often  large  colonies 
will  nest  in  such  places ;  and  it  is  also  found  breeding  especially 
abundant  in  sycamore  groves  along  streams  and  in  oak  woodland.  A 
number  of  pairs  will  often  find  suitable  nesting  places  in  the  trees  of 
quiet  orchards.  The  nest  is  a  coarse,  bulky  structure,  composed  of 
grasses,  knotty  roots  mixed  with  mud ;  the  lining  is  fine,  dry  grass, 
horse  hair  or  sheep's  wool. 

The  eggs  are  light  greenish  or  smoky-blue,  with  irregular  lines, 
dots,  blotches  and  scrawls  distributed  over  the  surface  ;  there  is  just  as 


n 


■ 

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NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


much  variation  in  the  eggs  of  this  species  as  is  found  in  those  oi  pur- 
pureus^  of  the  Atlantic  coast.  The  number  laid  ranges  from  four  to 
six,  although  on  the  15th  of  May  1888,  I  found  two  nests  containing 
seven  each.     The  average  size  of  ten  specimens  is  1.20X.82. 

512.    Quiscalus  macrourus    Swains.     [275.] 

Gh*eat-talled  Graokle. 

Hab.  Southern  Texas,  south  through  eastern  Mexico  to  Central  America. 

Called  the  Fan-tailed  Crow  Blackbird  or  Texas  Grackle.  It  is  an 
abundant  bird  in  southern  Texas.  Concerning  its  nesting  Dr.  Merrill 
says:  "Early  in  April,  after  several  weeks  of  noisy  courtship,  they 
begin  to  build  in  irregular  colonies,  and  by  the  middle  of  the  month 
have  eggs.  The  nests  are  perhaps  most  frequently  placed  near  the  top 
of  one  of  the  main  upright  branches  of  a  young  mesquite-tree.  They 
are  strongly  built  of  straws,  leaves  and  grasses,  mud  being  used  freely. 
Where  Spanish  moss  is  plentiful,  the  nests  are  sometimes  composed 
entirely  of  it ;  and  I  have  found  them  among  tule-reeds,  where  several 
species  of  Herons  were  breeding.  I  have  also  found  their  nests  either 
supported  by  the  lower  part  of  the  nest  of  the  Caracara  Eagle,  or  in 
the  same  tree." 

The  eggs  are  usually  three  in  number,  although  Mr.lienners  found 
many  sets  in  Texas  of  four  and  five.  They  vary  greatly  in  appearance ; 
the  ground  color  is  usually  a  greenish-white  or  purplish -brown,  more  or 
less  heavily  spotted  and  dashed  with  several  shades  of  brown.  The 
markings  are  apt  to  be  heavier  at  the  smaller  end.  By  this  peculiarity 
they  can  usually  be  distinguished  from  those  of  Q.  major.  The  average 
size  of  forty-five  eggs  is  1.26 x. 85;  largest  1.44X.91;  smallest  1. 16 x. 82. 

513    Quiscalus  major    Vieill.    [277.] 

Boat-tailed  Graokle.  > 

Hab.  South  Atlantic  and  Gulf  States,  north  to  Virginia,  West  to  Texas. 

Along  the  coast  of  the  States  that  border  on  the  Atlantic  and  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico,  from  the  Carolinas  to  the  Rio  Grande,  the  Boat-tailed 
Crow  Blackbird  is  an  abundant  species.  It  is  known  as  the  Jackdaw. 
Breeds  in  colonies  in  reeds  and  rushes  in  the  midst  of  swamps,  or  any- 
where in  trees,  often  a  considerable  distance  from  water,  and  the  nests 
are  also  placed  in  bushes  or  upon  trees  at  heights  varying  from  twenty 
to  forty  feet.  It  iL>  large  and  clumsy,  made  of  coarse  materials:  sticks, 
dry  grasses,  weeds,  strips  of  bark,  lined  with  finer  stems,  fibrous  roots, 
and  grasses.  The  nesting  time  is  in  April,  May,  and  in  June,  according 
to  locality.  Three  or  four  eggs  are  laid,  of  a  brownish-drab ;  some 
tinged  with  olive,  others  with  green  ;  they  are  marked  with  irregular 
blotches  of  brown  and  black.     Ten  eggs  measure :  1.20X.90;  1.21X.86; 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


286 


those  oi  pur- 
from  four  to 
ts  containing 
82. 


^le.     It  is  an 
Z  Dr.  Merrill 
iirtship,  they 
f  the  month 
near  the  top 
tree.     They 
used  freely, 
s  composed 
here  several 
nests  either 
3agle,  or  in 

nners  found 
ppearauce ; 
vn,  more  or 
own.  The 
peculiarity 
*he  average 
1 1.16X.82. 


:ic  and  the 
3oat-tailed 
Jackdaw. 
>s,  or  any- 
!  the  nests 
'Oi  twenty 
Is:  sticks, 
ous  roots, 
according 
b ;    some 
irregular 
C.21X.86; 


1.23 X. 87;  1. 27 X. 89;  1. 26 X. 89;    1. 27 X. 81;  1.24 X. 84;   1.30 X. 91;  1.29 
X.84;  1.28X.90.    The  average  size  is  1.24 X  .81. 

514    Coccothraustes  vespertina    (Coop.)    [165.] 

Evening  Oroabeak. 

Hab.  Western  North  America,  north  to  the  Fur  Countries ;  eastward,  irregularly  in  winter  to  Michigan, 
Wisconsin,  Illinois,  and  Iowa;  casually  to  Ohio  and  Ontario,  south  into  Mexico. 

This  handsome  bird  is  not  uncommon  in  varioiis  portions  of  western 
North  America,  from  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  the  Pacific.  It  is  a 
common  resident  of  the  forests  of  Washington  Territory,  and  also  of 
Oregon.  In  the  latter  region  Dr.  Merrill  observed  the  birds  carrying 
building  material  to  a  huge  fir  tree,  but  was  unable  to  locate  the  nest, 
and  the  tree  was  practically  inaccessible.  Mr.  Walter  E.  Bryant 
was  the  first  to  record  an  authentic  nest  and  eggs  of  the  Evening 
Grosbeak.  In  a  paper  read  before  the  California  Academy  of  Sciences, 
June  20,  1887,  he  describes  a  nest  of  this  species  containing  four  eggs, 
found  by  Mr.  E.  H.  Fiske,  in  Yolo  county,  California.  The  nest  was 
taken  May  10,  1886,  but  the  eggs  could  not  be  preserved,  as  incu- 
bation was  so  far  advanced.  In  general  shape,  color,  and  markings, 
they  were  similar  to  the  eggs  of  the  Black-headed  Grosbeak,  but  in 
size,  Mr.  Fiske  thinks,  they  were  somewhat  larger.  The  nest  was 
built  in  a  small  live  oak,  at  a  height  of  ten  feet,  and  was  a  more  pre- 
tentious structure  than  is  usually  built  by  the  Black-headed  Grosbeak, 
being  composed  of  small  twigs  supporting  a  thin  layer  of  fibrous  bark 
and  a  lining  of  horse  hair. 

June  5,  1884,  Mr.  John  Swinburne  found  a  nest  of  the  Evening 
Grosbeak  in  a  thickly  wooded  canon,  about  fifteen  miles  west  of 
Spriugerville,  Apadie  county,  Arizona.  The  nest  was  placed  about 
fifteen  feet  from  the  ground,  in  the  top  of  a  small  willow  bush,  on  the 
border  of  a  stream.  It  was  a  comparatively  slight  structure,  rather 
flat,  and  composed  of  small  sticks  and  roots,  lined  with  finer  portions  of 
the  latter.  This  nest  contained  three  fresh  eggs  of  a  clear  greenish- 
ground  color,  blotched  with  pale  brown. 

This  is  all  the  information  we  have  at  present  regarding  the  nests 
and  eggs  of  the  Evening  Grosbeak. 

515    Pinicola  enucleator  canadensis    (Cab.)    [166.] 

American  Pine  Grosbeak. 

Hab.  Northern  North  America  in  general.  Breeds  from  northern  New  England,  Labrador,  etc.,  to 
Alaska,  (except  the  coast  south  of  the  peninsula),  and  south  in  the  higher  Rocky  Mountain  regions  to  Col- 
orado and  Utah;  in  winter  south  to  Northern  United  States. 

This  large,  handsome  Grosbeak  is  resident  in  Northern  New  Eng- 
land, elsewhere  in  the  Northern  and  Eastern  States  it  is  a  winter 
migrant.  Mr.  Boardman  found  a  nest  with  two  eggs  in  it  at  Calais, 
Maine,  supposed  to  belong  to  this  species.     Dr.  Coues  found  it  breeding 


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286 


NESTS  AND   EGGS  OP 


on  the  coast  of  Labrador.  Mr.  Trippe  met  with  the  Pine  Bulfinch  in 
Colorado,  living  up  near  timber  line,  and  observed  young  birds  fully 
fledged  in  June.  Mr.  Mcllwraith  thinks  that  it  is  highly  probable 
that  this  species  may  yet  be  found  breeding  in  Ontario. 

The  bird,  according  to  Dr.  Cones,  inhabits  chiefly  coniferous  woods 
in  flocks  when  not  breeding,  feeding  upon  the  fruit  of  such  trees.  "A 
fine  musician,  of  amiable  disposition  and  gentle  manners,  often  caged. 
Nest  composed  of  a  basement  of  twigs  and  rootlets,  within  which  is  a 
more  compact  fabric  of  finer  materials ;  eggs  usually  four,  pale  greenish- 
blue,  spotted  and  blotched  with  dark  brown  surface  markings  and  lilac 
shell-spots ;  1.05  x  .74." 

517    Caryodacus  purpureus    (Gmel.)    [x68.] 

Purple  Finoh. 

Hab.     Eastern  North  America.     Breeds  from  northern  United  States  northward. 

Called  Purple  Grosbeak,  Crimson  Finch  or  Linnet.  It  is  found 
breeding  regularly  in  the  northern  tier  of  States  —  Dakota,  Minnesota, 
Wisconsin,  Michigan,  etc.,  northward,  and  is  said  to  have  been  found 
nesting  in  northern  Illinois.  An  abundant  bird  in  New  England, 
where  its  sweet  song,  bright  colors  and  sociable  disposition  have  made 
it  a  favorite  bird.  It  nests  in  May  and  June.  The  Rev.  J.  H.  Langille 
states  that  he  has  found  it  nowhere  so  abundant  as  in  Nova  Scotia. 

The  nest  is  usually  placed  in  evergreens  or  orchard  trees,  at  a 
moderate  distance  from  the  ground.  It  is  composed  of  weed-stalks, 
bark-strips,  rootlets,  grasses,  all  kinds  of  vegetable  fibres,  and  lined 
with  hairs.  The  nests  and  eggs  remind  one  of  the  Chipping  Spar- 
row's on  a  large  scale. 

The  eggs  are  of  a  dull  green,  spotted  with  very  dark  brown, 
chiefly  about  the  greater  end ;  four  or  five  in  number,  and  measure 
.85  X.  65. 

517rt.    Carpodacus  purpureus  californicus    Baird.    [  i68a.] 

California  Pnrple  Finoh. 

Hab.     Pacific  coast  of  the  United  States,  fro.n  British  Columbia  south  to  Southern  California. 

The  California  Purple  Finch  is  a  common  bird  throughout  its 
range.  Mr.  William  A.  Cooper  notes  it  as  abundant  around  Santa 
Cruz,  California.  He  states  that  it  is  a  most  destructive  bird,  visiting 
orchards  and  destroying  young  buds,  blossoms,  and  fruit.  It  retires  to 
the  wooded  river  bottoms  and  hills  to  breed ;  the  favorite  situations  for 
the  nest  are  the  tops  of  tall  willows,  alders,  trees  covered  with  climb- 
ing ivy,  and  horizontal  branches  of  redwoods.  The  nests  are  usually 
placed  at  a  considerable  distance  from  the  ground;  one  was  found 
placed  in  the  horizontal  branches  of  an  apple  tree ;  the  composition 
of  the  nests  consist  of  stems  and  vegetable  fibres  for  the  frame-work, 


..A. 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


287 


e  Bulfinch  in 
?  birds  fully 
hly  probable 

ferous  woods 
h  trees.  "A 
often  caged. 
Q  which  is  a 
lie  greenish- 
gs  and  lilac 


It  is  found 
Minnesota, 
been  found 
'  England, 
have  made 
I.  I^angille 
5Cotia. 
rees,  at  a 
ied-stalks, 
and  lined 
ing  Spar- 

^  brown, 
measure 


rnia. 

hout  its 
i  Santa 
visiting 
etires  to 
ions  for 
I  climb- 
usually 
i  found 
•osition 
;-work, 


which  is  generally  loosely  put  together ;  the  inner  portions  are  of  finer 
material  of  the  same,  lined  with  wool  or  a  few  hairs. 

The  eggs  are  four  or  five  in  number;  they  are  of  a  bluish-green 
or  light  emerald-green,  marked  with  spots  of  brown  and  dull  purple, 
chiefly  around  the  larger  end ;  in  some  specimens  they  form  a  confluent 
ring ;  others  are  spotted  over  the  entire  surface,  but  less  abundantly 
than  at  the  end.  Mr.  Cooper  gives  the  sizes  of  a  set  of  four  taken 
May  2,  as  .83  x  .57,  .81  x  .56,  .81  x  .56,  .80  x  .54 ;  another  set,  taken  May 
3,  give  the  following  mtasurements :  .75  x  .55,  .73  x  .56,  .72  x  .56, 
.71X.57.* 

A  set  of  four  eggs  in  Mr.  Norris'  cabinet  were  collected  June  14, 
1888,  near  Salem,  Oregon.  The  nest  was  made  of  grass  and  small 
twigs,  lined  with  hair,  and  was  situated  in  a  small  maple  tree,  thirty 
feet  from  the  ground.  The  eggs  are  bluish-green,  speckled  and 
spotted  with  olive.  They  measure  .84  x  .57,  .83  x  .57,  .83  x  .57,  .86  x  .56. 

518.    Carpodacus  cassini    Baird.    [169.] 

Cassln'a  Purple  Flnoh. 

Hab.  Western  United  States,  from  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  the  Pacific,  north  to  British  Columbia, 
south  over  the  highlands  of  Mexico. 

A  common  bird  in  Colorado,  Utah,  Nevada,  and  Eastern  Califor- 
nia. Its  general  habits,  nesting  and  eggs  are  very  similar  to  those  of 
the  Purple  Finch  of  the  East.  The  nest  is  found  in  various  situations, 
box-alder  bushes,  the  tops  of  cottonwood,  aspen  and  pine  trees.  It  is 
composed  principally  of  roots  and  twigs,  lined  with  softer  material  of 
the  same,  together  with  moss  and  cotton. 

The  eggs  are  usually  four  in  number,  and  a  typical  specimen  is 
oval  in  shape,  pointed  at  the  smaller  end.  The  color  is  light  bluish- 
green,  dotted  around  the  larger  end  with  slate,  lilac  and  blackish- 
brown.     The  average  size  is  .84  x  .62. 

519.    Carpodacus  mexicanus  frontalis    (Say)    [170,170a.] 

Honae  Finoli. 

Hab.  Western  United  States,  from  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  Pacific  coast  (chiefly  south  of  40°  in  the 
interior),  and  south  through  Western     nd   Central  Mexico   to  Colima  and  Guanajuato,  Lower  California. 

(Ridcw.) 

This  bird  is  known  as  the  Red-headed  Linnet  or  Burion.  We  also 
include  under  this  head  the  supposed  race  C.  frontalis  rhodocoipus 
(Cab.)t  It  is  a  very  common  bird  in  the  interior  region  of  the  United 
States,  from  Nevada,  Utah  and  Colorado  southward,  and  is  also  abund- 
ant on  the  Pacific  coast.     Mr.  Shields  mentions  this  as  one  of  the  best 


*  Bull.  Nutt.  Ornith.  Club.  Ill,  pp.  8-10. 

t  No  519a,  Crimson  House   Finch,  of  the  A.  O.  U.  Check   List,  which  Prof.  Ridgway  believes  to  be 
untenable — for  further  detiils  see  Manual  of  North  American  Birds,  p.  891. 


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NESTS  AND  EGGS  OP 


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known  birds  of  Southern  California.  Prof.  Evermann  found  it  to  be 
by  far  the  most  common  bird  of  Ventura  county,  and  obtained  the  first 
full  complement  of  eggs  early  in  April.  The  bird  will  place  its  nest 
anywhere,  from  the  limb  of  any  tree  to  the  side  of  a  haystack  or  a  tin 
can  on  a  porch.  It  is  made  of  anything  that  the  bird  happens  to  find 
handy — grasses,  straws,  roots,  etc.,  and  the  nest  of  an  Oriole  or  Cliff 
Swallow  is  often  occupied. 

Mr.  Shields  states  that  in  Los  Angeles  county,  California,  this 
species  begins  nesting  in  the  first  part  of  April,  and  eggs  may  be  found 
from  that  time  into  the  first  of  July.  Two,  and  sor^.e times  three 
broods  are  reared  in  a  season.  The  eggs  are  four  or  five,  usually  five 
in  number ;  their  color  is  of  a  pale  bluish  or,  as  some  would  call  it, 
pale  greenish-blue,  sparsely  marked  with  spots,  specks  and  lines  of 
very  dark  brown  or  black,  chiefly  around  the  larger  end.  Some  speci- 
mens before  me  are  tmmarked.  An  average  set  of  five  eggs  offer  the 
following  measurements :  .82X.57,  .85X.54,  .84X.55,  .83X.54,  .82X.52. 
The  average  of  twenty  specimens  is  .82  x  .58. 

520.    Carpodacus  ampins    Ridgw.    [171.] 

Onadalnpe  House  Flnohi 

Hsib.    Guadalupe  Island,  Lower  California. 

This  darker  colored  House  Finch  was  found  to  be  quite  common 
on  Guadalupe  Island,  by  Mr.  Bryant,  when  he  visited  that  place  in 
1885.  The  species  did  not  differ  in  its  habits  or  song  from  frontalis. 
February  22  two  nests  were  found  in  cypress  trees  nearly  completed, 
and  one  with  five  eggs  was  taken  March  i.  The  last  nest  taken  was 
on  April  7,  and  contained  five  eggs  with  small  embryos  in  them. 
Nearly  all  the  nests  were  placed  on  the  branches  of  cypress  trees ;  the 
birds  seemed  to  show  a  preference  for  the  leeward  side,  where  the  nest 
would  be  protected  from  prevailing  winds.  One  pair  built  in  a  clump  of 
mistletoe  at  a  height  of  twenty  feet ;  others  built  in  the  tops  of  palms. 
The  materials  used  were  the  finer  dead  stems  of  weeds ;  in  one  nest 
the  foundation  and  sides  were  made  of  pine  needles.  The  lining  was 
invariably  of  goat's  hair.  The  eggs,  sometimes  four  in  number,  but 
oftener  five,  during  the  early  part  of  the  season,  are  colored  precisely 
like  the  average  specimen  of  CM.  frontalis^  the  spots  being  either  spar- 
ingly applied  or  entirely  wanting.  They  also  resemble  them  in  gen- 
eral shape,  but  the  size  serves  to  distinguish  them.  Five  eggs  in  one 
set  measure  22x15,  22x15.5,  22.5x15.5,  23x15.5,  23x16.5  mm.* 
The  length  measurement  varies  from  19.5-24  mm.,  and  the  width  15- 
16.5  mm.   The  average  size  of  thirty-two  specimens  is  21.3  x  15.5  mm.f 

♦  .87x  .59,  .87  X  .61,  .89  x  .61,  .91  x  .61,  .91  x  .65. 

t  .77  to  .94  in  length  by  .59  to  .65  in  braadth ;  average  .Six  .61. 


^;^m 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


289 


und  it  to  be 
ined  the  first 
lace  its  nest 
ack  or  a  tin 
)pens  to  find 
iole  or  Cliflf 

ifornia,  this 
lay  be  found 
times  three 
usually  five 
ould  call  it, 
md  lines  of 
Some  speci- 
:gs  offer  the 
54,  .82X.52. 


te  common 
it  place  in 

frontalis. 

completed, 

taken  was 

in  them, 
trees;  the 
•e  the  nest 
a  clump  of 
of  palms, 
a  one  nest 
ining  was 
mber,  but 

precisely 
ther  spar- 
tn  in  gen- 
ius in  one 
).5  mm.* 
vidth  15- 
5.5  mm.f 


521.    Loxia  curvirostra  mlDor    (Brehm.)    [172.] 

Anterloan  Croaablll. 

Hab.  North  America  in  general,  but  chiefly  the  northern  portion  and  east  of  the  Plains;  resident 
sparingly  southward  in  the  Eastern  United  States  to  Maryland  and  Virginia  near  the  coast,  and  to  Northern 
Georgia,  Tennessee  and  Kentucky  in  the  mountains, 

A  curious  bird,  whose  home  is  in  boreal  regions ;  and  at  times, 
even  during  the  season  of  reproduction,  straggles  far  southward.  The 
American  Red  Crossbill  is  known  to  breed  in  Northern  New  England, 
and  from  thence  northward.  Breeds  sporadically  in  mountainous  re- 
gions south  as  far  as  New  York,  Pennsylvania,  Central  Maryland,  Vir- 
ginia, Northern  Georgia,  Tennessee  and  Kentucky.  It  may  be  found 
breeding  where  least  expected.  The  nesting  time  is  usually  in  Febru- 
ary and  March,  while  the  snow  is  yet  on  the  ground. 

In  the  Lower  Hudson  Valley,  Mr.  Eugene  P  Bicknell  found  a  nest 
of  this  species  on  the  30th  of  April,  containing  three  eggs.  The  nest 
was  placed  in  a  cedar  of  rather  scanty  foliage,  about  eighteen  feet  from 
the  ground,  and  was  without  any  main  support,  being  built  in  a  mass 
of  small,  tangled  twigs.  The  composition  externally  was  of  spruce 
twigs,  loosely  arranged ;  the  main  body  of  the  structure  was  a  mass  of 
matted  shreds  of  cedar  bark,  while  the  inside  was  felted  by  finer 
material,  and  lined  with  horse-hair,  fine  rootlets,  grass  stems,  pieces  of 
string  and  two  or  three  feathers.  The  structure  also  contained  small 
pieces  of  moss,  leaves,  grass,  string,  cottony  substances,  and  the  green 
foliage  of  cedar.* 

The  eggs  are  three  or  four  in  number,  usually  four.  Mr.  Bick- 
nell gives  the  sizes  of  the  three  eggs  which  this  nest  contained  as 
.74X.56,  .75X.58,  .78X.59  respectively.  The  color  of  the  eggs  is  pale 
greenish,  spotted  and  dotted  about  the  larger  end  with  various  shades 
of  brown  and  lavender  shell-markings;  average  size  .75X.57. 

522.    Loxia  leucoptera    Gmel.    [173.] 

'White-winged  Croesbill. 

Hab.  Northern  North  America,  south  into  the  United  States  in  winter  to  or  beyond  40°.  Breeds  ifOm 
Northern  New  England  and  higher  Rocky  Mountains  northward. 

This  is  not  so  common  a  species  as  the  Red  Crossbill,  although 
they  are  both  frequently  found  associated  in  deep  evergreen  woods. 
The  White-winged  Crossbill  is  resident  in  Northern  New  England,  and 
from  the  Rocky  Mountain  region  of  Colorado,  Wyoming  and  Montana 
northward.  It  is  possessed  of  the  same  uncertain  and  erratic  disposition 
as  L.  c.  minor ^  and  its  movements  are  not  to  be  relied  upon  ;  for  this 
reason,  it  is  likely  to  be  found  breeding  in  suitable  places  in  any  of  the 
northern  tier  of  States.  It  breeds  in  winter  or  early  spring,  and  the 
nesting  is  said  to  be  like  that  of  the  Red  Crossbill.    The  eggs  are  de- 

'^  For  full  account  of  this  nest  and  the  eggs,  see  Bull.  Nutt.  Ornith.  Club,  Vol.  V,  pp.  7-U. 

20 


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290 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OP 


scribed  as  pale  blue  ;  the  larger  end  rather  thickly  spattered  with  fine 
dots  of  black  and  ashy-lilac ;  the  size  .80  x .  56.  They  are  said  to  resemble 
those  of  the  Purple  Finch. 

[174.] 


Hab. 


Kadiak. 


523.    Leucosticte  griseonncha    (Brandt.) 

Aleutian  Iienoostiote. 

Aleutian  and  Prybilof  Islands,  Alaska;    west  to  Commander   Islands,  Kamtschatka,  east  to 


The  Aleutian  Rosy  Finch  is  the  largest  of  the  species  of  this  genus 
known  to  inhabit  North  America.  It  is  found  in  abundance  on  the 
Prybilof  and  other  Aleutian  Islands.  Dr.  Stejneger  states  that  on 
Bering  Island  it  cannot  be  said  to  be  numerous,  except  perhaps  in  a 
few  places  where  the  localities  are  favorable.  Copper  Island,  being  one 
mass  of  rugged  and  cracked  rocks  and  cliffs,  with  steep,  often  quite 
perpendicular  walls  jutting  up  straight  out  of  the  ocean,  is  the  favorite 
haunt  of  these  stone-loving  birds,  which  may  be  said  to  be  fairly  com- 
mon on  that  island,  occurring  in  pairs  around  the  whole  isle  during  the 
breeding  season.  In  the  latter  half  of  June  he  found  parents  feeding 
their  young,  and  full-fledged  young  were  taken  July  7.  Many  pairs 
produce  two  broods  in  a  year. 

The  nest  of  this  species  is  made  on  the  ground  or  among  rocks, 
and  is  very  bulky,  composed  of  a  few  straws  and  moss,  lined  with 
feathers.  The  nests  and  eggs  of  others  of  this  genus  are  not  certainly 
known,  but  probably  resemble  those  of  griseonucha. 

The  eggs  are  described  as  being  pure  white  without  markings, 
three  to  six  in  number,  usually  four ;  size  .97  x  .67. 

527«.    Acanthis  hornemaniiii  exilipes    (Coues.)    [178a.] 

Hoary  Redpoll. 

Hab.     Circumpolar  continental  regions;  Arctic  America. 

The  Hoary  Redpoll  Linnet  inhabits  the  whole  of  boreal  America, 
and  it  is  found  in  abundance  from  Alaska  to  the  Atlantic  coast,  rarely 
reaching  the  United  States,  and  then  only  along  the  northern  tier  of 
States  in  winter.    It  breeds  in  high  latitudes,  nesting  in  trees  and  bushes. 

The  nest  is  described  as  rather  bulky,  composed  of  small  twigs. 
Straws,  etc.,  mixed  and  lined  with  feathers. 

The  eggs  are  two  to  five  in  number,  of  pale  bluish-green,  speckled 
chiefly  about  the  larger  end,  with  reddish-brown,  sometimes  mixed  with 
a  few  black  specks  and  lines.  Prof.  Ridgway  gives  the  average  size  of 
the  eggs  as  .68  x  .51. 

528.    Acanthis  linaria    (Linn.)    [179.] 

Redpoll. 

Hab.  Northern  portions  of  Northern  Hemisphere;  in  North  America  migrating  south  in  winter  to 
ftbout  40o. 

The  Redpoll  Linnet  occurs  in   the  United   States  as  a  winter 


:red  with  fine 
id  to  resemble 


iamtschatka,  east  to 

of  this  genus 
dance  on  the 
ates  that  on 

perhaps  in  a 
nd,  being  one 
5,  often  quite 
5  the  favorite 
e  fairly  com- 
le  during  the 
■ents  feeding 

Many  pairs 

mong  rocks, 
lined  with 
lot  certainly 

t  markings, 

al  America, 
oast,  rarely 
lern  tier  of 
ind  bushes, 
mall  twigs, 

3,  speckled 
nixed  with 
age  size  of 


th  in  winter  to 


a  wmter 


NORTH  AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


291 


migrant.  It  comes  south  from  its  breeding  grounds  in  high  lati- 
tudes, often  in  company  with  Pine  Grosbeaks  and  Crossbills,  but  is 
so  erratic  in  its  movements  that  its  appearance  cannot  be  relied  upon. 
It  breeds  occasionally  in  Northern  New  England;  also  in  Nova  Scotia, 
Newfoundland,  and  commonly  in  Labrador  and  all  the  Fur  Countries. 
Dr.  Stejneger  says  that  this  form  of  the  Redpoll  seems  to  be  the  common 
breeding  bird  on  the  mainland  of  Kamtschatka,  where  he  took  a  very 
young  specimen  near  Petropaulski  on  the  4th  of  July.  He  does  not 
think  that  this  species  breeds  on  the  islands,  as  none  were  met  with 
from  the  end  of  May  until  the  beginning  of  November. 

The  bird's  general  habits  are  very  similar  to  those  of  the  American 
Goldfinch.  The  nest  is  built  in  trees  and  bushes,  is  bulky,  made  of 
twigs  and  grasses,  with  generally  a  warm  lining  of  feathers. 

A  set  of  six  eggs  in  Mr.  Norris'  cabinet  were  taken  May  14,  1885, 
near  Loughboro,  England.  Their  ground-color  is  bluish-green,  speckled 
chiefly  at  the  larger  ends  with  burnt  umber ;  sizes  .62  x  .49,  .65  x  .47, 
.60  X  .45,  .62  X  .49,  .64  X  .48,  .64  x  .47.     The  average  size  is  .67  x  .48. 


Hab. 


529.    Spiinis  tristis.    (Linn.) 

Amerloan  Goldfinoli. 

Whole  of  temperate  North  America,  resident. 


[181.] 


Thistle-bird,  Yellow-bird,  Lettuce-bird,  and  "  Wild  Canary "  are 
the  names  commonly  applied  to  this  species.  It  is  distributed  through- 
out North  America  generally,  and  breeds  southward  to  the  middle  dis- 
tricts. In  the  United  States  it  is  a  well  known  bird ;  its  conspic- 
uous bright  colors,  peculiar,  undulating  flight,  and  its  plaintive,  lisping 
notes  are  familiar  to  even  the  casual  observer. 

It  nests  when  most  other  birds  are  through  breeding — in  some 
localities,  however,  as  early  as  June  15,  but  usually  in  July,  or  when 
the  thistle-down  begins  to  float  on  the  breeze,  in  August  and  Septem- 
ber. Exceptionally,  nests  with  eggs  have  been  found  in  May,  The 
nest  is  a  beautiful,  compact,  felted  mass  of  vegetable  fibres,  moss, 
grasses,  leaves,  fine  strips  of  bark,  lined  with  plant  down,  and  the  nests 
that  are  built  late  enough  in  the  season  usually  have  a  thick  lining  of 
thistle-down.  It  is  placed  in  all  kinds  of  trees  and  bushes,  ranging 
from  three  to  forty  feet  above  the  ground.  Willows,  maples,  and 
orchard  trees  seems  to  be  favorite  nesting  sites,  and  not  infrequently 
it  is  found  built  in  the  tops  of  thistle  plants.* 

<■  Mr.  Walter  E.  Bryant  records  the  following  unusual  nesting  place  of  the  American  Goldfinch  as  ob- 
served by  Mr.  A.  M.  Ingersoll,  in  California:  "  In  1884  a  grove  of  young  willows  that  had  been  occupied  the 
previous  season  by  a  colony  of  tri-colored  blackbirds,  was  found  deserted  by  them.  Many  of  the  blackbirds' 
nests  still  remained  in  forks  of  the  willows  from  four  to  ten  feet  above  the  marsh.  Six  of  these  old  nests 
were  in  possession  of  American  Goldfinches.  The  present  tenants  had  loosely  filled  the  nests  about  one-half 
full  of  cat-tail  down,  and  had  formed  only  a  s'.ight  hollow  for  the  nest  proper.  Some  were  found  with  eggs, 
and  in  others  there  were  '  birds  in  last  year's  nests.'  " 


!.     :f 


l!92 


NESTS   AND   EGGS   OF 


Some  writers  state  that  the  ep^gs  of  the  Goldfinch  range  from  three 
to  five  in  number.  This  is  not  correct,  at  least  in  Ohio.  The  number 
to  a  set  varies  from  three  to  six.  In  the  month  of  August  and  during 
the  first  two  weeks  of  September,  1888,  Mr.  Rudolph.  A.  L.  Baker,  and 
myself  collected  twenty-nine  nests  with  eggs  of  the  Goldfinch.  Out  of 
this  number,  eleven  contained  six  eggs,  ten  contained  five,  five  were  of 
four,  and  three  were  of  three  eggs  each.  Sets  of  five  and  six  are 
common.  The  color  of  the  eggs  is  plain,  pale  bluish  or  greenish- 
white,  unspotted.  Ten  eggs  measure  .62  x  .48,  .61  x  .49,  .61  x  .48,  .62  x 
.51,  .63X.52,  .65  X  .52,  .67x51,  .67X.52,  .66X.52,  .67X.52.  An  average 
specimen  measures  .65X.52. 

530.    Spinus  psaltria    (Say)    [182] 

Arkansas  Goldflnoh. 

Hab.  Western  United  States  from  the  Great  Pl.iins  to  the  Pacific,  north  on  the  coast  to  Oregon,  in 
the  interior  north  to  Colorado  and  Utah,  southward  to  Sonora. 

This  species  is  also  calL-d  the  Arkansaw  Green-backed  and  Rocky 
Mountain  Goldfinch.  It  is  an  abundant  bird  in  the  West,  nesting  like 
its  Eastern  cousin,  the  American  Goldfinch,  in  trees  and  bushes.  In 
California  it  breeds  from  the  latter  part  of  April  to  the  middle  of  July ; 
May  and  June  being  the  most  general  breeding  months.  Ten  nests 
containing  four  eggs  each,  collected  by  Mr.  R.  B.  Herron,  at  San 
Gorgonia  Pass,  California,  in  May  and  June,  are  in  my  cabinet.  The 
eggs  are  of  the  same  color  as  those  of  ►S".  tristis^  pale  greenish-blue,  but 
are  much  smaller.  The  nests  are  also  smaller  —  some  of  the  more 
elaborately  built  nests  of  tristis  are  almost  double  the  size  of  those  of 
S,  psaltria.  Ten  eggs  measure  .63X.46,  .60X.45,  .62X.41,  .62X.42, 
.59X.46,  .63X.44,  .63X.47,  .63X.48,  .64X.47,  .63X.45;  comparatively 
little  variation  in  size.    Four  eggs  is  the  usual  number  laid,  rarely  five. 

530«.    Spinus  psaltria  arizonse    (Coues.)    [i82d!] 

Arizona  Goldflnoh. 

Hab.  Southwestern  portion  of  the  United  States,  North  to  Arizona  and  Colorado,  East  to  Texas 
and  Mexico. 

The  general  habits,  nesting  and  eggs  of  this  sub-species  are 
exactly  the  same  as  those  of  the  Arkansas  Goldfinch. 

531.    Spinus  lawrencei    (Cass.)    [183.] 

I<awreno»'B  Goldfinch. 

Hab.    California,  in  winter  sonthwestward  to  Arizona. 

Lawrence's  Goldfinch  is  a  common  bird  in  California  where  it  breeds 
in  abundance,  placing  the  nest  usually  near  the  extremity  of  the  limb  of 
a  live  oak,  where  it  is  well  concealed  and  hard  to  find.  They  nest  in 
April,  May  and  June.  Prof.  Evermann  says  he  found  the  first  full  set 
of  eggs  in  Ventura  county,  April  6.    The  nest  is  composed  of  wool, 


2  from  three 
riie  number 
and  during 
Baker,  and 
ch.  Out  of 
five  were  of 
and  six  are 
r  green ish- 
r  X  .48,  ,62  X 
An  average 


ast  to  Oregon,  in 

and  Rocky 
lesting  like 
)uslies.  In 
He  of  July; 

Ten  nests 
pn,  at  San 
net.  The 
h-blue,  but 

the  more 
jf  those  of 
.62x42, 
iparatively 
rarely  five. 


East  to  Texas 

jecies  are 


NORTH   AMERICAN    BIRDS. 


293 


e  it  breeds 
le  limb  of 
ey  nest  in 
st  full  set 
of  wool, 


M^ 


fine  grasses,  down  and  feathers,  closely  matted  together  and  lined  with 
the  long  hair  of  the  larger  animals.  They  are  often  made  entirely  of 
grasses.  The  latter  is  chiefly  the  composition  of  four  nests  before  me 
taken  by  Mr.  Herron  in  May  and  June.  The  eggs  are  four  or  five  in 
number,  and  are  pure  white.  Four  typical  eggs  before  me  measure  as 
follows  :  .62  X  .47,  .64  X  .45,  .62  X  .44,  .62  X  .48 ;  a  set  of  five  collected  at 
San  Gorgonia  Pass,  by  Mr.  Herron,  June  22,  1883,  offers  the  following 
sizes ;  .56  x  .45,  .58  x  .45,  .61  x  .46,  .62  x  .46,  .64  x  .44. 

533.    Spinus  pinus    (Wn.s.)    [185.] 

Piue  Siskin. 

Hab.  Northern  North  America, breeding  from  Northern  United  States  northward;  South  in  wintar 
to  Mexico. 

The  Pine  Linnet,  Pine  PMnch,  or  American  Siskin,  breeds  through- 
out the  British  Provinces,  Northern  Maine,  New  Hampshire,  Vermont, 
New  York,  Michigan,  thence  to  Oregon  and  Washington  Territory,  in 
evergreen  forests.  Its  breeding  within  the  United  States,  however,  is 
by  no  means  of  common  occurrence.  It  has  been  found  nesting  by  Dr. 
Merriam  and  others  in  New  York  and  various  New  Kngland  States. 
^  Mr.  J.  A.  Allen  obtained  a  set  of  four  eggs  of  this  species  at  Cornwall- 
on-Hudson,  Orange  county,  New  York,  May  12, 1887.  The  nest  .which 
contained  these  eggs  was  placed  in  the  extremity  of  an  upper  branch 
of  a  Norway  pine,  about  thirty-five  feet  from  the  ground.*  Another 
nest  was  found  by  Dr.  A.  K.  Pisher,  at  Sing  Sing,  New  York,  on  May 
25.  It  was  situated  in  the  top  of  a  red  cedar,  about  twenty-four  feet 
from  the  ground  and  contained  four  nearly  fresh  eggs.f  In  both  cases 
the  birds  were  observed  carrying  building  material  to  the  nests. 

Captain  B.  F.  Goss  has  a  set  of  four  eggs  which  was  taken  June 
25,  1887,  in  Northern  New  York.  The  nest  was  placed  near  the  top  of 
a  birch  tree,  and  was  made  of  dry  grasses  and  pine  needles,  with  a  lining 
of  feathers.  The  ground-color  of  the  eggs  is  greenish-white,  spotted 
with  various  shades  of  brown ;  one  of  the  eggs  of  this  set  is  quite 
thickly  spotted  over  the  whole  surface ;  on  another  specimen  the  spots 
are  mostly  confined  to  the  larger  end.  The  other  two  are  faintly 
marked,  and  one  of  them  is  almost  immaculate.  Their  sizes  are  :  .67  x 
.45,  .68x48,  .67X.48,  .69X.47.  A  set  of  three  eggs  in  Mr.  Norris'  col- 
lection was  taken  near  Salem,  Oregon,  May  7,  1887.  The  female  was 
seen  on  the  nest  and  the  eggs  were  somewhat  incubated.  The  nest  is 
a  much  flatter  structure  than  that  built  by  S.  trisics,  and  was  placed  on 
the  branch  of  a  fir  tree,  twenty-five  feet  from  the  ground.  The  eggs 
are   pale  greenish-blue,  faintly  speckled   near   the   larger   ends  with 

«  For  full  account  of  this  nest  and  the  eggs  see  The  Auk,  IV,  pp.  284-286. 
t  Bull.  Nutt  Ornith.  Club.    VIII,  pp.  180-181. 


4-  : 


illP  !  ?i|" 


294 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


cinnamon.  They  measure:  .63x49,  .54X.49,  .53X.48,  respectively. 
Another  set  in  the  same  cabinet,  contains  four  eggs.  The  ground  color 
is  similar  to  the  set  of  three,  but  the  spots  are  larger  and  darker.  They 
were  taken  in  Maine. 

*  *    Carduelis  cardaella    (Linn.) 

Ooldflnoh. 

Hab.  Europe  and  Weitern  Alia;  introduced  and  naturalized  in  portioni  of  Eastern  United  Statei. 

The  European  Goldfinch  has  been  introduced  and  successfully 
naturalized  in  various  portions  of  Eastern  United  States,  as  in  New 
York,  Hoboken,  New  Jersey,  and  in  the  vicinity  of  Cambridge,  Massa- 
chusetts, etc.  In  Central  Park,  New  York  city,  it  is  considered  a 
common  resident. 

April  20,  1886,  Mr.  E.  T.  Adncy  discovered  two  nests  in  Central 
Park,  one  of  which  contained  five  fresh  eggs.  The  nests  were  placed 
in  pine  trees,  among  the  tufts  of  long  pine  needles,  near  the  end  of  a 
slender  horizontal  limb,  about  twelve  feet  from  the  ground.  The  nest 
of  the  European  Goldfinch  is  a  handsome,  compact,  cup-shaped  struc- 
ture, made  of  fine,  soft  grasses,  vegetable  fibres  and  mosses.  It  is 
thick-walled  and  substantial,  often  built  in  bushes  and  various  kinds  of 
trees.  ,  The  eggs  are  four  to  six  in  number  of  greenish-white,  or  light 
greenish-blue,  dotted  with  reddish-brown  around  the  larger  end.  Their 
average  size  is  .72  x  .50. 

*  *    Passer  domesticus    (Linn  ) 

European  Honae  Sparronr. 

Hab.     Europe,  etc.;  introduced  into  the  United  States  with  regrets. 

The  "rats  of  the  air"  were  imported  into  this  country  about  six- 
teen years  ago  for  the  purpose  of  ridding  our  trees  and  shrubbery  of 
insect-pests.  The  species  has  proved  a  failure  as  an  insectiverous  gor- 
mandizer, and  by  its  force  of  numbers  has  compelled  some  of  our  native 
and  fondly-cherished  birds,  such  as  the  Bluebird  and  Martin,  to  retreat 
to  their  primitive  abodes  for  nesting  places  —  the  cavities  in  forest 
trees  —  and  even  there,  they  will  doubtless,  ere  long,  have  to  face  this 
sturdy  foe. 

The  habits,  nests  and  eggs  of  the  House  Sparrow  are  too  well 
known  to  require  description.  It  is  called  English  Sparrow,  The 
Sparrow,  Philip  Sparrow,  Parasite,  Tramp,  Hoodlum,  Gamin. 

*  *    Passer  montanus    (Linn.) 

European  Tree  Sparro'w. 

Hab.     Europe;  naturalized  about  St.  Louis  and  elsewhere. 

This  species  looks  very  much  like  the  European  House  Sparrow, 
and  it  nests  similar  —  in  holes  of  trees,  nooks  and  corners  of  isolated 
buildings,  etc.     The  eggs  are  four  to  six  in  number,  similar  to  those  of 


nii.i  J,— ).wpwrw* 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


296 


respectively, 
ground  color 
irker.    They 


trn  United  Statei. 

successfully 
,  as  in  New 
idge,  Massa- 
onsidered  a 

in  Central 
were  placed 
he  end  of  a 
The  nest 
aped  struc- 
ises.  It  is 
us  kinds  of 
te,  or  light 
hd.    Their 


about  six- 
ubbery  of 
erous  gor- 
3ur  native 
to  retreat 
in  forest 
face  this 

too  well 
ow,  The 


Sparrow, 
isolated 
those  of 


P.  domesiicus,  but  averaging  "  smaller  and  usually  darker  and  redder." 
The  bird  is  thoroughly  naturalized  in  the  vicinity  of  St.  Louis, 
Missouri. 

534.    Plectrophenax  nivalis    (Linn.)    [i86.] 

Snowflak*. 

Hab.  Circumpolar  regiona,  except  inlands  of  Berinj  Sea;  louth  in  winter  to  Northern  United  Stattt; 
irregularly  to  Georgia,  Southern  Illinois,  and  Kansas. 

This  beautiful,  white  bird  breeds  in  the  high  Arctic  regions,  only 
visiting  the  Northern  United  States  in  winter  in  large  flocks.  It  is 
known  as  the  Snow  Bunting,  and  is  beautifully  called  a  "  warm- 
blooded Snowflake."  Many  a  dreary  winter  landscape  is  made  a 
picturesque  scene  when  thousands  are  seen  in  their  flight  drifting 
before  a  storm. 

The  nest  of  this  bird  is  placed  on  the  ground,  and  is  often  hidden 
by  a  tossock  of  grass  or  rock  ;  it  is  built  of  grass  peculiar  to  the  Arctic 
regions,  mixed  with  moss,  is  very  substantial,  with  thick  walls,  and  a 
small,  deep  cavity,  which  is  warmly  lined  with  feathers. 

Mr.  Norris  has  a  set  of  four  eggs  of  this  species,  which  was  taken 
in  Iceland,  May  30,  1882.  The  eggs  were  fresh,  and  are  of  a  pale 
greenish-white,  speckled  and  spotted,  most  heavily  near  the  larger  ends, 
with  russet  and  lilac-gray.  Their  sizes  are  .84 x  .61,  .88X.67,  .88x.6i, 
.86  X  .64.  The  ground-color  in  a  large  series  is  said  to  vary  considerably — 
from  whitish  to  dull  purplish  or  greenish  tint,  and  the  average  size  is 
.91 X  .64. 

*  *    Plectrophenax  nivalis  townsendi    Ridgw. 

Pry bllof  Snowflake. 

Hab.     Prybilof  Islands,  Alask:i,  and  Commander  Islands,  Kamtscbatka. 

This  new  sub-species  is  doubtless  the  bird  found  breeding  by  Dr. 
Stejneger  on  Bering  and  Copper  Islands,  in  June  and  July.  He  states 
that  it  is  resident  on  the  islands  during  the  whole  year.  If  the  season 
is  open  and  otherwise  favorable,  the  first  eggs  will  be  laid  shortly  after 
the  middle  of  May  ;  the  young  will  be  out  in  the  beginning  of  June. 
In  July  he  found  fresh  eggs  of  a  second  brood.  The  smallest  eggs  in 
the  number  taken  measure  .94X.69,  .96X.67,  .93X.73;  the  largest  in 
long  diameter,  1.06. 

536.    Calcarius  lapponicus    (Linn.)    [187.]      : 

Lapland  Longspnr. 

Hab.  Arctic  regions  of  both  hemispheres;  in  North  America  south  in  winter  to  Northern  United 
States,  sometimes  as  far  as  South  Carolina,  Kentucky,  Kansas,  Nevada,  etc. 

As  its  name  indicates,  this  is  a  boreal  bird,  and  in  North  America 
its  summer  home  is  in  the  regions  about  Great  Slave  Lake,  Mackenzie 
River,  and  Alaska.  In  these  places  it  breeds  abundantly  in  May,  June, 
and  July.     In  the  United  States  it  appears  as  a  winter  visitor,  in  flocks, 


f 

^  1 

■if 

i 
i 

1 '  r 

1 

i!^n 


1! 


!  ii  1^ 

1:1^' -li 

!  :    ;i     :      )     . 

It 

'1        '" 

! 

■  ■' 

Jl, 

i 

290 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


!t:!ii 


'M  "  m 


often  associating  with  the  Horned  Lark  and  Snow  Bunting,  frequenting 
the  same  fields.  The  nest  of  this  species  is  described  by  Dr.  Coues  as 
placed  on  the  ground,  under  tussocks,  in  grassy  hummocks.  It  is 
built  of  mosses  and  fine,  soft,  dried  grasses,  and  lined  with  a  few  large 
feathers  from  some  water- fowl. 

The  eggs,  four  to  six  in  number,  are  rather  pointed  at  the  smaller 
end,  and  are  very  dark  colored,  reminding  one  of  the  Titlark's ;  the 
color  is  a  heavy  clouding  or  thick  mottling  of  chocolate-brown,  through 
which  the  greenish-gray  ground  is  apparent ;  .80  x  .62. 


537. 


Hab. 


Calcarius  pictus    (Swains.)    [188.] 

Smith's  Longspnr. 

Interior  of  Arctic  America;  south  in  winter  over  the  Great  Plains  and  prairies  to  Illinois  and 


Texas. 


The  Painted  Longspur  inhabits  Arctic  America,  chiefly  the  Sas- 
katchewan and  the  Mackenzie  River  Valleys,  breeding  as  far  north  as 
the  Arctic  coast  and  Upper  Yukon  Valley.  It  is  a  common  bird  on  the 
prairies  of  Minnesota,  Dakota,  Montana,  etc.,  southward,  associating 
in  the  fall  with  the  Chestnut-collared  Longspur,  but  breeds  mostly  far- 
ther north.     Its  nesting  is  like  that  of  C.  lappomcus. 

The  eggs,  four  or  five  in  number,  are  light  clay  color,  marked  with 
obscure  blotches  and  lines,  dots  and  blotches  of  dark  purplish-brown ; 
they  havv"^  the  same  average  size  as  those  of  lapponiais .,  but  are  colored 
more  like  the  eggs  of  the  next  species. 

538.    Calcarius  ornatus    (Towns.)    [189,] 

Chestnnt'oollared  Liongspnr« 

Hab.  Great  Plains  of  the  United  States,  north  to  the  Saskatchewan;  south  in  winter  to  Arizon:*,  New 
Mexico,  Texas,  and  Mexico. 

This  bird  is  called  the  Black-shouldered  >  r  White-tailed  Longspun 
It  is  one  of  the  most  abundant  birds  of  the  Western  Plains — resident 
in  Middle  and  Northwestern  Kansas,  breeding  north  through  Nebraska, 
Dakota,  Montana,  etc.,  to  high  latitudes.  A  common  but  somewhat 
local  breeder  in  Manitoba.  In  Kansas  it  begins  laying  early  in  June. 
The  nest  is  placed  on  the  ground  on  the  high,  open  prairie,  and  is  com- 
posed wholly  of  mosses. 

A  set  of  three  eggs  in  Mr.  Norris'  collection  was  taken  near 
Huron,  Dakota,  May  22,  1886.  Incubation  had  commenced,  and  the 
bird  was  observed  on  the  nest,  which  was  a  hollow  in  the  ground,  lined 
with  fine  grasi>  .s.  The  eggs  are  pinkish-white,  speckled  with  burnt 
umber ;  sizes,  .78  x  .56,  .78  x  .54,  .78  x  .57.  A  set  of  four  eggs  is  in  my 
cabinet,  which  was  taken  in  Becker  county,  Minnesota,  where  the 
species  is  a  common  breeder.     These  eggs  have  a  reddish-clay  color, 


.ss  w:  'pm*- 


frequenting 

)r.  Coues  as 

ocks.     It  is 

a  few  large 

the  smaller 
tlark's;  the 
vn,  through 


es  to  Illinois  and 

ly  the  Sas- 
ar  north  as 
bird  on  the 
issociating 
mostly  far- 

irked  with 
sh-brown ; 
re  colored 


Arizona,  New 

ongspur. 
-resident 
Nebraska, 
oniewhat 
in  June. 
1  is  com- 

en  near 
and  the 
id,  lined 
h  burnt 
is  in  my 
lere  the 
y  color, 


NORTH  AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


297 


marked  with  dark  reddish-brown  spots  and  blotches,  even  approaching 
black,  and  obscure  shell  markings  of  purple;  sizes  •75X.54,  .74X.54, 

•73X.54.  •y.sx.ss- 

539.    Aihychophanes  mccownii    (Lawr.)    [190.] 

jk^oCo'wii''a  LongapuTt 

Hab,  Interior  of  North  America,  breeding  from  the  northern  border  of  Kansas,  north  to  the  Sr"« 
katchewan  ;  south  In  winter  to  Mexico. 

The  Black-breasted  or  Bay-winged  Longspur  breeds  in  abundance 
throughout  the  prairies  of  Colorado,  Wyoming,  and  Montana.  In  the 
latter  region  and  Dakota  it  is  found  associated  with  the  Chestnut-col- 
lared I/ongspur,  in  whose  general  habits  it  is  an  exact  counterpart.  Dr. 
Coues  says  it  has  the  same  soaring,  singing  flight,  and  parachute-like 
descent,  "  sliding  down  on  the  scale  of  its  own  music." 

Its  nesting  habits  are  the  same  as  those  of  the  last  species,  and 
the  eggs,  three  to  six  in  number,  are  similar,  but  their  ground-color  is 
usually  more  olive  ;  average  size  .82  x  .60. 

540.    PoocsBtes  gramineus    (Gmkl.)    [197.] 

Veeper  Sparro'w. 

Hab.  Eastern  United  States,  west  to  the  edge  of  the  Plains,  north  to  Nova  Scotia  and  Ontario,  breed- 
ing southward  to  Virginia,  Kentucky,  and  Missouri. 

The  Grass-Finch,  Eay-winged  Bunting,  or  "  Gray  Bird,"  as  it  is 
called,  is  an  abundant  species  in  Eastern  United  States.  Its  favorite 
resorts  are  weedy  fields,  roadsides,  and  commons.  From  its  habit  of 
singing  mostly  in  the  evening  and  in  cloudy  weather,  it  is  called  Vesper 
Bird.  The  bird's  song  alone  is  sufficient  to  distinguish  it  from  others 
of  the  smaller  sparrows.  Its  song  is  a  clear,  sweet  trill,  finely  modu- 
lated, or  it  is  the  Song  Sparrow's  song  reversed. 

The  breeding  season  is  in  May  and  June.  I  have  found  the  nest 
with  fresh  eggs  in  July.  This  is  placed  on  the  ground,  usually  in  an 
exposed  position,  under  a  thistle,  small  bush,  or  weed-stalk ;  it  is  a 
slight  structure,  composed  of  grasses,  with  a  lining  of  hair. 

The  eggs  are  four  or  five,  usuallytifour,  in  ntimber ;  they  are  of  a 
pale  greenish-white,  sometimes  pinkish  or  grayish-white,  marked  with 
blotches,  mixed  with  dots  and  lines  of  various  shades  of  reddish  or 
rusty-brown.     The  average  size  is  .80  x  .60. 

540a.    PoocsBtes  gramlneus  confinls    Baird    [197a.] 

Weatern  Veaper  Sparrow^. 

Hab.  Western  North  America,  north  into  British  America,  east  to  Manitoba  and  border  of  the  Plains, 
south  into  Mexico. 

This  form  of  the  Vesper  Sparrow  is  common  to  the  plains  and 
prairies  of  the  West.  It  possesses  the  same  characteristics  which  are 
common  to  P.  gratmneus^  nesting  also  in  the  same  manner. 

Mr.  Norris  has  two  sets  of  eggs  of  this  bird,  one  of  which  was 


flf; 
'■  ii. 


i'l 


1^' 


:ll 


1  ,!   f 
It  '    I 


Li 


298 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


ii!! .,  M 


taken  by  Captain  Charles  E.  Bendire,  at  Fort  Custer,  Montana,  May 
ao,  1885,  and  consists  of  four  eggs ;  these  are  of  a  dull  pinkish-white, 
clouded  and  spotted  with  burnt  umber;  sizes,  .76X.60,  .76X.59,  .77 x 
.59,  .79X  .60 ;  the  other  set,  four  in  number,  was  taken  at  Fort  Klamath, 
Oregon,  June  a,  1888.  Their  ground-color  is  bluish -white,  with  mark- 
ings of  the  same  color  as  those  in  the  first  set ;  their  sizes  are,  .83  x  .57, 
.83X.59,  .82X.60,  .84X.60. 

541.    Ammodramus  prlnceps    (Mayn.)    [192.] 

Ipawioh  Sparrow. 

Hab,    Atlantic  coas(  from  Nova  Scotia,  south  in  winter  to  Virginia  and  coast  of  Texas. 

It  has  recently  been  discovered  that  the  Ipswich  Sparrow  breeds 
on  Sable  Island,  Nova  Scotia,  and  a  series  of  its  eggs  are  in  the  National 
Museum.  These  are  similar  to  the  eggs  of  the  Savannah  Sparrow, 
and,  according  to  Prof.  Ridgway,  they  are  uniformly  larger;  size  .81  x 
.62.  The  nest  is  placed  on  the  ground  in  meadows  and  other  grassy 
places. 

542c.    Ammodramus  sandwichensis  savanna    (Wils.)    [193a.] 

Savannah.  Sparro'w. 

Hab.  Eastern  North  America,  breeding  from  Northern  United  States  to  Labrador,  and  Hudson 
Bay  Territory. 

A  rather  common,  and  in  some  places,  an  abundant  bird  in  East- 
em  United  States,  usually  breeding  from  about  latitude  40°  northward. 
It  is  stated  as  breeding  sparingly  throughout  Illinois  and  in  some  parts 
of  Missouri.  In  Ohio  it  is  a  rare  summer  resident.  Throughout  New 
England  the  Savannah  Sparrow  is  abundant,  being  found  nearly  all  the 
year.  Its  favorite  resorts  are  salt  marshes  along  the  coast,  and  wet, 
muddy,  open  ground,  overgrown  with  grass  and  weeds  in  the  interior. 
It  is  a  terrestrial  bird,  and  is  known  as  the  "  Ground  Sparrow."  Its 
song  is  weak,  squeaky  and  unmusical,  which  is  at  times  uttered  from  the 
ground,  or  from  the  tops  of  bushes.  The  breeding  season  is  in  May  and 
June.  The  nest  is  sunken  in  the  ground,  and  generally  well  concealed 
among  the  weeds  and  tall  grass.  It  is  usually  nothing  but  a  slight 
arrangement  of  grasses  in  concentric  rings,  the  brim  being  flush  with 
the  surface. 

The  eggs  are  three  to  six  in  number,  usually  four  or  five,  and  there 
exists  as  great  a  variety  iu  coloration  as  are  to  be  found  in  the  eggs  of 
the  Song  Sparrow.  The  ground-color  is  greenish  or  grayish-white, 
spotted,  speckled,  and  blotched  with  light  brown  and  lilac,  particularly 
about  the  larger  end,  and  the  markings  are  often  so  numerous  that  they 
almost  conceal  the  ground-color ;  average  size  .76  x  .54. 


^ff//ggfir^.'Ai>,!.m^Vt'^- 


NORTH  AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


299 


ontana,  May 
Qkish-white, 
6X.59,  77 X 
)rt  Klamath, 
with  mark- 
^e,  .83X.57, 


rrow  breeds 
he  National 
ih  Sparrow, 
:;  size  .81  x 
ther  grassy 

or,  and    Hudson 

rd  in  East- 
lorthward. 
some  parts 
fhout  New 
irly  all  the 
:,  and  wet, 
le  interior, 
•ow."     Its 
d  from  the 
1  May  and 
concealed 
t  a  slight 
lush  with 

and  there 
e  eggs  of 
^h-white, 
ticularly 
that  they 


542^.    Ammodramiis  aandwichensis  alandinus    (Bonap.)    [193^.] 

^Testem  Savannah  Sparroir. 

Hab.    Western  Nort'^  America  (except  in  general  the  Pacific  coast  re^on] ;  breeds  from  Rocky  Moun- 
tains north  to  Alaska;  south  in  winter  to  Mexico. 

The  general  habits,  nesting,  and  eggs  of  this  western  form  of  the 
Savannah  Sparrow  are  in  no  wise  peculiar,  but  are  like  those  of  A.  s. 
savanna.    Eggs,  .75  x  .55. 

542^.    Ammodramus  sandwichensis  bryanti    Ridgw.    [194, /ar/.] 

Bryant's  Marah  Sparroir. 

Hab.    Salt  marshes  of  San  Francisco  Bay,  California, 

This  sub-species  differs  from  P.  sandwichensis  alaudinus  in  being 
decidedly  smaller  and  darker  in  the  coloration  of  the  upper  parts,  which 
are  similar  to  A.  beldingi  but  not  so  heavily  streaked  with  black,  etc. 
It  has  been  named  by  Prof.  Ridgway  in  honor  of  the  well  known 
ornithologist,  Walter  E.  Bryant,  of  Oakland,  California,  who  has  devoted 
much  study  to  the  birds  of  San  Francisco  Bay  and  vicinity.  Mr.  Bryant 
has  kindly  furnished  me  with  an  account  of  this  bird's  nesting,  eggs, 
etc.  He  states  that  it  is  a  common  resident  about  Oakland,  particularly 
during  the  winter,  when  they  become  generally  distributed  over  fields 
and  along  roadsides.  The  bird  apparently  prefers  dry  ground  just 
away  from  salt  marshes  for  nesting  sites,  although  they  also  breed 
amongst  the  marsh  grass  in  places  not  subject  to  overflow  during  ex- 
cessively high  tides.  The  fields  selected  are  usually  those  more  or  less 
overgrown  -with  grass  and  weeds,  or  pasture  lands  where  considerable 
cattle  are  grazing.  The  nests  are  placed  on  the  ground,  usually  in  a 
depression. 

The  usual  number  of  eggs  is  four,  rarely  five.  The  color  of  a  set  of 
four  taken  by  Mr.  Bryant  on  May  22, 1880,  is  grayish -white,  irregularly 
blotched  with  light  brown  and  reddish-brown,  sparingly  marked  with 
light  purple,  which  is  more  noticeable  about  the  larger  end,  where  it 
rppears  as  shell  markings  underlying  the  brown.  They  measure  20  x 
14.5,  19.5x14.5,  19.5x14.5,  20.5x14.5  mm.*  The  nest  from  which 
these  were  taken  is  composed  outwardly  of  small,  dark  grass-stems, 
and  lined  with  fine,  light-colored  grasses;  external  diameter  115  mm. 
by  50  mm.  in  height ;  the  cavity  is  58  mm.  in  diameter  by  24  mm. 
deep,  t  Another  set  of  four  eggs  in  Mr.  Bryant's  collection  came  from 
San  Mateo  county,  California,  and  was  taken  May  12,  1878.  These  are 
grayish-white,  heavily  blotched  with  yellowish  and  reddish-brown,  and 
an  under  color  of  pale  lavender.  Their  sizes  are  18.5  x  14,  18.5  x  14.5, 
19  X  14-5)  18.5x14.5.  mm.  I 

•  .79  X  .57,  .77  X  .57,  .77  x  .57,  .81  x  .57. 

t  External  di.tmetcr  of  nest  4.53;  height,  1,1/7;  diameter  of  cavity,  2.28  by  .94  in  depth. 

I  .78  X  .65,  .78  X  .55,  .75  x  67,  .78  x  .67. 


i  m. 


I 


m 


. ' !  I- 


h 


^-M[ 


nH- 


300  NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 

543.    Ammodramus  beldingi    Ridgw.    [194, /ar/.] 

Belding's  Marah  Spnrrovr. 

Hab.  Salt  marshes  of  Southern  California,  from  Santa  Barbara  south  to  Todos  Santos  Island,  Lower 
California. 

Mr.  B.  T.  Gault  found  this  sparrow  to  be  very  abundant  in  the  salt 
marshes  in  the  vicinity  of  National  City,  San  Diego  county,  California, 
in  the  spiing  of  1883.  A  nest  containing  three  fresh  eggs  was  found  May 
24 ;  it  was  situated  in  a  patch  of  marsh  weed,  apparently  raised  a  little 
above  the  ground — several  feet  above  tide-water  mark,  and  was  com- 
pletely saturated  with  water ;  notwithstanding  the  dampness  of  the 
nest  the  eggs  were  warm  to  the  touch,  as  the  female  had  just  left  the 
nest.  The  structure  was  composed  almost  exclusively  of  weed  stalks, 
with  a  little  grass  and  a  few  feathers,  arranged  in  a  careless  manner. 
The  ground-color  of  the  eggs  is  dirty-white,  of  a  brownish  tinge, 
caused  by  minute  specks  of  brown  and  lavender.  The  eggs  had  a 
pinkish  tinge  before  they  were  emptied  of  their  contents.  The  spots 
and  specks  are  of  lavender,  and  the  blotches  of  amber-brown,  congre- 
gating principally  toward  the  larger  end,  with  an  occasional  streak  of 
a  darker  brown  shade ;  their  sizes  are  .76  x  58,  .77  x  .59,  .78  x  .58.  * 

545.    Ammodramus  bairdii    (Aud.)    [191] 

Balrd's  Sparroixr. 

Hab.  Interior  portions  of  North  America,  from  the  Plains  of  Dakota  and  Montana  to  the  Saskatch- 
ewan, south  in  winter  to  Texas,  New  Mexico,  and  Aiizona. 

In  the  summer  months  this  species  is  found  on  the  plains  and 
prairies  of  Dakota  and  Montana,  north  to  the  Saskatchewan.  The 
bird  remained  for  a  long  time  almost  unknown,  until  Dr.  Coues  found 
it  breeding  in  profusion  on  the  prairies  of  Dakota,  in  some  places  out- 
numbering all  the  other  birds  together.  In  general  habits  and  appear- 
ance in  life  it  is  quite  like  the  Savannah  Sparrows.  Dr.  Coues  states 
that  the  song  of  this  species  is  peculiar,  consisting  of  two  or  three  dis- 
tinct syllables,  of  a  mellow,  tinkling  tone,  running  into  an  indefinite 
trill,  like  zip-zip-zip-zr-r-r-r . 

The  nest  is  a  slight  affair,  made  of  grasses  and  weed-stalks  on  the 
ground ;  its  diameter  is  about  four  inches.  The  eggs  are  laid  in  June 
and  July,  and  they  range  from  three  to  five  in  number,  being  similar  to 
those  of  the  Vesper  Sparrow  (Grass  Finch).  They  are  whitish  of 
varying  tints,  irregularly  spotted,  speckled,  and  blotched,  with  pale 
and  dark  reddish-brown  ;  size  .80  x  .65. 

546.    Ammodramus  savannarum  passerinus'    (Wils.)    [198.] 

Oraaahopper  Sparro\7'< 

Hab.  Eastern  United  States  and  Southern  Canada  to  the  Great  PUin.s  wintering  in  the  Gulf  States, 
Bahamas,  Cuba,  and  Porto  Rico. 

Perhaps  better  known  as  the  Yellow-winged  Sparrow.     Anyone 


*  Bulletin  No.  2,p.p.  5&-00,  Ridgway  Ornithological  Club,  Chicago,  Illinois. 


■MMnwawviiiiii  ii  III. I .  I, I  jjji 


tos  Island,  Lower 

nt  in  the  salt 
'y  California, 
s  found  May 
lised  a  little 
id  was  com- 
ness  of  the 
just  left  the 
tveed  stalks, 
ess  manner, 
'nish  tinge, 
eggs  had  a 
The  spots 
«vn,  congre- 
il  streak  of 


to  the  Saskatch- 

plains  and 
van.  The 
)ues  found 
places  out- 
ad  appear- 
)ues  states 
three  dis- 
indefinite 

ks  on  the 
in  June 
similar  to 
hitish  of 
vith  pale 


] 


Oiilf  States, 

Anyone 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


301 


will  be  able  t9  identify  this  little  bird  in  hand.  The  edge  of  the  wing 
is  conspicuously  yellow ;  the  lesser  wing  coverts  and  line  over  eye  are 
yellowish.  A  common  bird  in  the  meadows  and  clover  fields  of  East- 
ern United  States,  nesting  in  May  and  June.  It  is  a  bird  of  retiring 
habits,  generally  keeping  in  the  tall  grass,  on  the  ground,  and  not 
usually  seen  only  when  flushed.  Its  flight  is  zig-zag.  Sometimes  it 
will  mount  a  stump  or  weed-stalk,  and  sing  at  short  intervals  for  hours 
at  a  time  a  peculiar,  monotonous  song,  which  has  been  aptly  compared 
to  that  of  a  grasshopper — hence  its  common  name. 

The  nest  is  placed  on  or  rather  sunken  in  the  ground,  and  con- 
cealed by  a  thick  tussock  of  grass. 

The  eggs  are  four  or  five  in  number,  generally  four.  They  have  no 
resemblance  to  the  eggs  of  the  Field  Sparrow,  Song  Sparrow,  Savannah 
Sparrow,  or  Grass  Finch,  having  a  clear,  white  ground-color,  with  a 
moderate  polish,  spotted  more  or  less  thickly  with  pale  reddish-brown, 
chiefly  and  sometimes  wholly  at  the  larger  end.  Mr.  Poling  says  he 
has  found  fresh  eggs  in  Illinois  as  early  as  April  20  and  as  late  as 
August  12.  Two  broods  are  often  reared.  A  set  of  four  eggs  in  my 
cabinet,  taken  by  Mr.  J.  E.  Gould,  on  June  14,  in  Franklin  county, 
Ohio,  exhibits  the  following  respective  measurements  :  .77  x  .55,  .77  x 
.56,  .79X.56,  .81X.55;  the  sizes  of  a  set  of  five  taken  May  16  by  the 
same  collector  are  .80  x  .59,  .79  x  .59,  .79  x  .59,  .78  x  .57,  .yy  x  .57.  A  set 
of  four  from  Marshall  county,  Kansas,  taken  May  30,  gives  the  follow- 
ing dimensions  :     .70  x  .54,  .70  x  .56,  .71  x  .54,  .72  x  .55. 

546«.    Ammodramus  savannarum  perpallidus    Ridgw.    [1980.] 

TVestern  Grasshopper  Sparrow. 

Hab.     Western  United  States  from  the  Great  Plains  to  the  Pacific,  south  over  table-lands  of  Mexico. 

The  nesting  and  eggs  of  this  paler  and  grayer  form  of  the  Yellow- 
winged  Sparrow,  which  is  found  in  the  dry,  western  regions,  are  the 
same  as  those  of  the  Eastern  bird.     Eggs,  .75X.57. 

547.    Ammodramus  henslowii    (Aud.)    [199.] 

HenaloMr's  Sparrotir. 

Hab.  Eastern  United  States,  north  to  Ontario  and  Southern  New  England,  west  to  the  edge  of  the 
Plains,  winters  in  the  Gulf  States. 

Henslow's  Grasshopper  Sparrow  or  Bunting  is  not,  on  the  whole, 
an  abundant  species  in  Eastern  United  States,  being  found  common 
only  in  restricted  localities.  It  is  given  as  a  rare  summer  resident  in 
portions  of  Southern  New  England.  Breeds  abundantly  in  the  meadows 
about  Washington,  D.  C.  Mr.  Shick  found  Henslow's  Yellow-winged 
Sparrow  breeding  in  the  vicinity  of  Sea  Isle  City,  New  Jersey.  Farther 
west  it  seems  to  be  common  in  various  sections.  It  may  be  found 
breeding  in  Southern  and  Western  Ohio,  as  it  is  stated  by  Dr.  Brayton 


^i 


If 

( 


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302 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OP 


to  be  a  common  summer  resident  on  the  prairies  of  Indiana.  Breeds 
also  on  the  weedy  prairies  of  Illinois  and  Missouri.  Messrs.  Keyes  and 
Williams  record  it  as  a  common  summer  resident  in  Iowa,  and  Col. 
Goss  mentions  it  as  a  summer  resident  of  Kansas.  Mr.  L.  Jones  in- 
forms me  that  in  Iowa  the  favorite  resorts  of  this  Sparrow  during  the 
breeding  season  are  neglected  fields  and  pasture  lands. 

Its  nest  is  placed  on  the  ground,  sometimes  in  a  slight  depression, 
beneath  a  tussock  of  grass ;  the  composition  is  of  fine  and  coarse 
grasses,  with  a  few  cow  hairs. 

The  eggs,  Mr.  Jones  says,  are  deposited  about  May  25.  The  bird's 
habits,  nest,  and  eggs  are  described  as  being  similar  to  those  of  the 
Yellow-winged  Sparrow  {A.  savannarum  passerinus)^  but  the  eggs  are 
not  pure  white  in  ground-color,  having  a  greenish  or  grayish- white  tint, 
profusely  dotted  and  blotched  with  several  shades  of  brown  and  lilac 
shell  markings.    They  are  four  or  five  in  number,  and  average  .75  x  .57. 

548.    Ammodramus  leconteii    (Aud.)    [200.] 

IieCont«'s  Sparrow. 

Hab.  Gre?.t  Plains,  north  to  Manitoba,  mifrating  south  and  east  in  winter  through  Illinois,  Iowa, 
Kansas,  etc.,  to  South  Carolina  and  Gulf  States. 

A  common  bird  on  the  western  prairies,  but  seldom  observed  on 
account  of  its  habit  of  hiding  in  the  grass.  Breeds  from  Dakota  and 
Minnesota  northward  to  Manitoba.  Dr.  Agersborg  found  a  nest  of 
this  species  containing  five  eggs,  June  19,  1883,  in  Southeastern 
Dakota.  They  were  ready  to  hatch ;  in  coloration  and  shape,  looked 
like  miniature  eggs  of  the  Horned  Lark. 

Mr.  Ernest  E.  Thompson  states  that  in  Manitoba,  the  bird  "is 
commonly  found  in  the  willows  at  ail  seasons,  uttering  its  peculiar 
ventriloqual  twcete^  tweete^  whence  I  knew  it  as  the  '  Willow-tweete,' 
long  before  I  ever  heard  of  Leconte,  or  of  any  name  for  this  bird." 
Mr.  Thompson  bescribes  a  nest  with  eggs  of  this  bird,  which  were,  we 
believe,  previously  unknown.  "  The  nest  was  by  a  willow  bush  in  a 
damp  meadow ;  it  was  apparently  on  the  ground,  but  really  raised  six 
inches,  being  on  the  tangled  grass,  etc.  It  was  composed  entirely  of 
fine  grass.  The  eggs  —  three  in  number  —  were  of  a  delicate  pink, 
with  a  few  spots  of  brownish  and  of  black  towards  the  large  end.  The 
pink  was  lost  in  blowing.     One  measured  .75  x  .50  inches.* 

549.    Ammodramus  caudacutus    (Gmel.)    [201.] 

Sharp-tailed  Sparroiv. 

Hab.     Salt  marshes  of  the  Atlantic  coast,  from  Prince  Edward  Island  and  Nova  Scotia  to  North 


Carolina. 


The  Sharp-tailed  Finch  breeds  abundantly  in  the  salt  marshes  of 


<■  Auk,  Vol.  v.,  pp.  23-24. 


mmmmmmm 


■iMHijiyimii 


X..-iM^\.i^fpm'' 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


303 


na.  Breeds 
!.  Keyes  and 
ra,  and  Col. 
[y.  Jones  in- 
during  the 

depression, 
and  coarse 

The  bird's 
hose  of  the 
le  eggs  are 
-white  tint, 
^n  and  lilac 
je  -75  X  .57. 


ti  Illinois,  Iowa, 

)served  on 
)akota  and 
a  nest  of 
itheastern 
pe,  looked 


is 


bird 

peculiar 
v-tweete,' 
lis  bird." 
were,  we 
ush  in  a 
aised  six 
tirely  of 
te  pink, 
d.    The 


a  to  North 

rshes  of 


the  Atlantic  coast  from  North  Carolina  northward,  and  it  is  commonly 
found  associate^  in  the  same  places  with  the  Sea-side  Finch,  A.  mart- 
timus.  They  keep  closely  in  the  shelter  of  the  rank  salt  reeds  and 
herbage,  where  the  nest  is  built.  This  is  fastened  to  the  sedges  and 
composed  of  grasses,  lined  with  finer  material  of  the  same.  The 
nesting  season  is  in  May  and  June,  and  a  second  set  of  eggs  may  be 
found  in  July.  While  the  nidification  of  this  species  and  the  Seaside 
Finch  is  essentially  the  same,  Mr.  Shick  states  that  on  the  New 
Jersey  coast,  the  nest  of  the  Sharp-tail  is  not  built  so  bulky  as  that  of  the 
former.  Both  species  are  common  in  the  salt  marshes  at  the  mouths 
of  creeks  and  rivers  along  the  Atlantic  coast. 

Mr.  Norris  has  a  typical  set  of  four  eggs  of  the  Sharp-tailed 
Sparrow  taken  by  Hon.  John  N.  Clark,  near  Old  Saybrook,  Connecti- 
cut, at  the  mouth  of  the  Connecticut  River.  The  nest  was  in  the 
salt  grass  of  a  wet  meadow ;  the  eggs  were  fresh,  brownish- white, 
varying  to  greenish-white,  thickly  sprinkled  and  speckled  with  tawny- 
brown,  sizes:  .75X.58,  .76X.57,  .76X.58,  . Sox. 56.  The  eggs  are 
also  said  not  to  be  readily  distinguishable  from  some  examples  of  the 
Savannah  Sparrow. 

550.    Ammodramus  maritlmus    (Wils.)    [202.] 

Seaside  Sparrow^ 

Hab.  Salt  marshes  of  the  Atlantic  States,  from  Massachusetts  south  to  those  bordering  Gulf  of 
Mexico. 

The  Seaside  Finch  is  a  common  species  in  the  salt  marshes  of  the 
Atlantic  coast  from  Connecticut  southward.  Its  nests  and  eggs  are 
identical  with  those  of  tb'^  last  species,  only,  as  already  stated,  in 
speaking  of  the  Sharp-tailed  species  the  nest  is  more  bulky.  It  is  carefully 
concealed  in  clumps  of  salt  grass  and  quite  neatly  built  of  grasses, 
lined  with  fine  material.  In  exceptional  instances  the  nests  have  been 
found  "  arched  over." 

The  largest  set  of  eggs  Mr.  Shick  ever  found  on  the  New  Jersey 
coast  was  seven,  but  the  usual  numbers  are  four  or  five — five  being  the 
more  common.  Their  ground-color  is  greenish  or  brownish-white, 
thickly  speckled  with  umber-brown,  and  are  not  with  certainty  dis- 
tinguishable from  those  of  the  last  species.  The  sizes  of  a  set  of  five 
eggs  taken  by  Mr.  Shick  at  Sea  Isle  City,  New  Jersey,  May  21, 1887,  are 
as  follows :  .70  x  .56,  .75  x  .56,  .74  x  .55,  .73  x  .55,  .71  x  .54.  A  set  of  four 
in  Mr.  Norris'  cabinet:  .78  x  .61,  .81  x  .62,  .79  x  .61,  .80  x  .56. 

552.    Chondestes  grammacus    (Say.)    [204.] 

I<ark  Sparrow. 

Hab.  Mississippi  Valley,  west  to  the  Plains,  east  to  Ohio,  north  to  Michigan  and  south  to  Eastern 
Texas,  Louisiana,  etc.;  accidental  near  the  Atlantic  coast. 

Throughout  the  Mississippi  Valley  the  I^ark  Finch  is  found  breed- 


W 


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M    .., 


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II 


304 


NESTS  AND   EGGS   OF 


ing  more  or  less  abundantly  in  all  suitable  places,  from  Eastern  Texas 
and  Louisiana  on  the  south  to  Iowa  and  Southern  Michigan  on  the 
north.  Its  favorite  summer  resorts  are  prairie  lands,  clover  and 
stubble-fields,  neglected  and  sparsely  wooded  pastures  and  fields 
bordered  with  low  trees.  Breeds  in  May,  June  and  July  according  to 
locality  ;  sometimes  two  and  three  broods  are  reared.  It  is  one  of  the 
sweetest  songsters  among  our  Sparrows.  Its  song  is  littered  in  a  hur- 
ried manner,  "in  one  continuous  gush  of  silvery  notes,  and  accom- 
panied by  a  metallic  tremolo.''^  Several  birds  may  be  seen  running  in 
the  grass  with  lowered  heads  like  quails,  from  which  manner,  in  some 
places  they  receive  the  name  of  "  Quail-heads,"  and  again  they  are 
given  the  name  of  "  Road-birds  "  from  their  habit  of  running  along 
road-sides  and  feeding  in  roads.  Mr.  Singley  states  that  in  Texas  the 
Lark  Finch  often  repairs  old  nests  of  the  Mockingbird  and  Orchard 
Oriole  with  a  lining  of  grass,  horse  hairs  etc.,  and  Mr.  Davis  informs 
me  that  he  has  found  its  eggs  in  the  nest  of  the  Scissor-tailed  Fly- 
catcher. The  nest,  however,  is  usually  placed  on  the  ground,  some- 
times in  trees  or  bushes.  When  on  the  ground  it  is  generally  sunken 
in  a  hollow,  concealed  by  tufts  of  grass  or  clover  and  it  is  hard  to  find, 
for  the  bird,  like  the  Bobolink,  has  the  habit  of  running  some  distance 
from  the  nest  before  taking  wing.  Thj  composition  varies  according 
to  the  vegetable  growth  of  the  locality  in  which  it  is  built;  usually 
grasses,  clover  and  weed  stems  make  up  the  structure. 

The  eggs  are  three  to  five  in  number,  commonly  four;  they  are 
pure  white  or  they  have  a  faint  bluish  or  brownish  tinge,  speckled 
and  marked  with  zig-zag,  straight  and  wavy  lines,  of  very  dark  brown 
and  black,  chiefly  at  the  larger  end,  like  the  eggs  of  the  Baltimore 
Oriole,  and  in  exceptional  cases  it  is  impossible  to  differentiate  the 
eggs  of  the  two  species.  The  size  of  those  of  the  Lark  Sparrow  vary 
from  .76  to  .89  in  length  by  .59  to  .68  in  breadth. 

552  a.    Ohondestes  grammacus  strigatus    (Swains.)    [204  a.] 

Western  Lark  Sparrcw. 

Hab.  Western  United  States  from  the  Great  Plains  ami  Central  Texas  south  into  Mexico. 

This  sub-species  is  common  in  Western  United  States,  from  the 
Plains  and  Western  Texas  (where  it  breeds  abundantly)  to  the  Pacific. 
In  California  it  nests  on  the  ground,  in  live  oaks,  sycamores  orange 
and  lemon  trees.     Eggs  .80 x. 60. 

553.    Zonotrichia  querula    (Nutt.)    [205.] 

Harris's  Sparroir. 

Hab.  More  eastern  Great  Plains  and  more  western  prairies,  breeding  from  Eastern  Montana  (?)  north 
to  Manitoba;  south;  in  winter,  to  Texas,  and  east  to  Iowa,  Western  Illinois,  Missouri,  etc.  (Ridgway.) 

Eggs  of  this  species  are  described  by  Prof.  Ridgway  as  follows : 


i!! 


tern  Texas 
jan  on  the 
clover  and 

and   fields 
wording  to 

one  of  the 
1  in  a  hur- 
nd  accom- 
rnnning  in 
r,  in  some 
1  they  are 
ling  along 
Texas  the 
d  Orchard 
is  informs 
ailed  Fly- 
nd,  some- 
ly  sunken 
rd  to  find, 
-  distance 
according 

;  usually 

they  are 
speckled 
k  brown 
Baltimore 
iate  the 
ow  vary 


:om  the 
Pacific, 
orange 


ia(?)  north 
vay.) 

)llows : 


-   ff-'i-'' 

1  :;■■ 

'  [■"■'■■ 

;  ■■;  ^'-' 

i 
'■  ■ 

^    ,  .    ■ 

:*:1 


if! 

1 1 


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i 

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i 

1 

1 

1 

1 
i 

1 

: 

i 

i 

i  1 

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dtt^yrighl  iSSt. 


PLATE    IX. 


ATE    IX. 


y^ 


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60. 


NORTH  AMKRICAN   BIRDS. 


306 


"(Identification  somewhat  doubtful),  .87X.68,  buffy  whitish,  thickly 
speckled  with  burnt-umber,  slightly  mixed  with  purplish-gray."* 

554.  Zonotrichia  leucophrys    (Forst.)    [206.] 

Whlte>orotirned  Sparrow. 

Hab,  North  America  at  large ;  breeds  northward ;  south  in  winter,  to  tht  Southern  United  Statei,  and 
south  to  Mexico. 

This  is  probably  the  most  beautiful  of  our  Sparrows.  It  win- 
ters in  the  Gulf  States  and  southward,  migrating  northward  in  spring 
to  its  breeding  grounds,  which  are  in  the  higher  mountain  ranges  of 
Western  United  States — Sierra  Nevada  and  Rocky  Mountains,  and  east- 
ward north  of  the  Great  Lakes,  to  Newfoundland  and  Labrador.  In 
Colorado  this  species  nests  in  June  and  July,  often  raising  two  broods 
in  a  sea.son.  The  bird  is  chiefly  a  ground  builder  but  nests  are 
found  in  bushes  a  few  feet  above  the  ground.  A  .set  of  four  eggs  in  Mr. 
Norris'  cabinet  was  taken  July  i,  1883,  near  Hancock,  Colorado. 
The  nest  was  on  the  ground  and  was  composed  of  grasses,  etc.  The 
eggs  are  pale  greenish-blue,  speckled  and  spotted  with  bay ;  the  mark- 
ings are  much  heavier  and  thicker  near  the  larger  ends;  sizes,  .87 x 
.64,  .89X.63,  .91X.65,  .93X.58.  The  number  of  eggs  is  stated  to  be 
four  or  five,  and  are  said  to  resemble  those  of  the  Song  Sparrow,  except 
in  size,  some  being  heavily  and  distinctly  marked. 

555.  Zonotrichia  intermedia    Ridgw.     [207a.] 

Intermediate  Sparroiir. 

Hab.  Western  North  America  from  the  Rocky  Mountain  region  to  the  Pacific;  in  winter,  south 
throughout  Western  United  States  into  Mexico. 

The  Intermediate  White-crowned  Sparrow  breeds  in  the  far  north 
—  throughout  Alaska  (except  the  coast  east  and  south  of  the  peninsula) 
and  eastward  through  the  Mackenzie  River  region.  The  eggs  are 
described  as  similar  to  those  of  Z.  leucophrys  but  the  more  cinnamon 
or  rusty  colored  style  predominates. 

556.    Zonotrichia  gambeli    (Nutt.)    [207.] 

Oambel's  Sparrow. 

Hab.     Pacific  coast  region  from  Southern  California  north  to  British  Columbia. 

In  California  Gamble's  White-crowned  Sparrow  breeds  near  the 
coast,  building  the  nest  in  trees,  bushes,  and  in  thick  clumps  of  weeds. 
It  is  quite  bulky,  and  composed  externally  of  weed  stems,  and 
find  dry  grasses  on  the  inside.  Three  to  five  eggs  are  laid,  commonly 
three  or  four.  Mr.  Norris  has  a  set  of  four  collected  by  A.  M.  Ingersoll 
near  Alameda,  California,  April  2,  1885.  Their  ground  color  is  pale 
greenish-blue,  spotted  and  splashed  with  liver-brown;  sizes,  .88X.65, 
.88  X .  64,  .88  X  .64,  .94  X  .68.  A  set  of  four  taken  by  the  same  collector 
exhibits  the  following  measurements :  .88  x  .63, .  90  x  .66,  .94  x  .67,  .88  x 

"  Manual  N.  A.  Birds,  p.  41fi. 

21 


If    1 


!n 


I  li^ 


i     -I  i 


ti 


.  I 


306 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


.64.  Another  set  containing  five  eggs,  from  Motalla,  Oregon,  taken 
June  24,  1884,  measure:  .83X.64,  .85X.64,  .84X.65,  .86X.64,  .86X.65 
In  all  of  these  eggs  the  maikings  are  heavier  at  the  larger  ends. 


557. 


[ao8.] 


Zonotrichia  coronata    (Pall.) 

Ooldan-orowued  Sparrow. 

Hab.  Pacific  coast  region,  from  Southern  California  to  Alaika;  migrites  east  irregularly  to  Rocky 
Mountains,  casually  to  Wisconsin. 

The  Golden-crowned  Sparrow  is  stated  \  ed  in  Northern  Cali- 

fornia and  northward  to  Alaska.  Its  nesti.  ^  is  similar  to  that  of 
gambeli  and  the  eggs  are  "colored  like  the  more  distinctly  spotted 
of  Z.  leucophrys^ 

558.    Zonotrichia  albicoUls    (Gmel.)    [209.] 

White-throated  Sparro'Wi 

Hab.  Eastern  North  America,  breeding  from  Northern  United  States  northward;  west  to  the  Plains, 
casually  to  Utah. 

A  large,  handsome  sparrow,  very  similar  to  the  White-crowned 
species.  Breeds  in  Northern  Michigan,  New  York,  and  Northern  New 
England  northward ;  winters  from  the  Middle  States  southward.  In 
the  greater  portion  of  Eastern  United  States  it  is  seen  only  during  the 
migrations,  or  in  the  winter. 

In  suitable  places  throughout  the  three  "'orthern  New  England 
States  the  White-throated  Sparrow  is  a  rathe:  unon  breeder,  nesting 
in  June.  The  nest  is  built  on  the  ground,  oi,  exceptional  cases,  in 
bushes,  and  among  the  branches  of  fallen  trees.  It  may  be  built  in  a 
clearing  near  the  edge  of  woods,  and  frequently  in  damp  places,  often 
under  a  fallen  branch,  or  at  the  foot  of  a  sappling,  and  but  slightly  con- 
cealed. It  is  more  bulky  than  a  Song  Sparrow's  nest,  built  of  weed- 
stems,  grasses,  etc.  The  eggs  are  four  or  five  in  number  and,  like  those 
of  the  Song  Sparrow,  are  subject  to  great  variation  in  size  and  color- 
ation, as  are  exhibited  by  a  large  series  of  specimens  in  Mr.  Norris' 
cabinet.  The  ground-color  is  of  a  pale  greenish-blue,  spotted,  sprinkled 
and  clouded  with  cinnamon-rufous  and  bay.  Some  eggs  are  of  a  pale 
cinnamon,  sprinkled  and  clouded  with  burnt  umber.  A  set  of  four, 
containing  eggs  of  the  smallest  sizes,  exhibits  the  following  dimen- 
sions: .Box. 63,  .79X.61,  .80X.61,  .81X.62;  another  containing  the 
largest  eggs  gives  the  following  measurements :  .88  x  .64,  .87  x  .63, 
.86X.64,  .89X.64. 

559.    Spizella  monticola    (Gmel.)    [210, /ar/.] 

Tree  Sparronr. 

Hab.    Eastern  North  America,  west  to  the   Plains,  breeding  far  northward;  south  in  winter  through 

Eastern  United  States. 

This  bird  looks  very  much  like  the  Chipping  Sparrow  but  it  has  a 
dusky  spot  in  the  center  of  the  chest.     In  Eastern  United  States  it 


im 


mm 


egon,  taken 
.64,  .86X.65 
ger  ends. 


egularly  to  Rocky 

trthern  Cali- 

to  that  of 

ctly  spotted 


vest  to  the  Plains, 

ite-crowned 
rthern  New 
:hward.  In 
'  during  the 

;w  England 
der,  nesting 
lal  cases,  in 
e  built  in  a 
)laces,  often 
lightly  con- 
It  of  weed- 
,  like  those 
and  color- 
Mr.  Norris' 
i,  sprinkled 
:e  of  a  pale 
set  of  four, 
ing  dimen- 
taining  the 
.87  X  .63, 


n  winter  through 

DUt  it  has  a 
:d  States  it 


NORTH  AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


307 


i«  found  only  in  winter — hence  the  name,  Winter  Chip-bird,  by  which 
it  is  known.  It  breeds  in  Labrador  and  the  region  about  Hudson 
Bay.  The  nest  is  described  as  being  placed  in  trees  or  bushes  or  on 
the  ground,  and  composed  of  grasses,  mud,  fine  rootlets  and  hair.  The 
eggs  have  no  similarity  to  those  of  the  Chipping  Sparrow.  They 
are  light  green,  flecked  with  minute  markings  of  reddish-brown,  dis- 
tributed with  great  regularity  over  the  surface  but  so  sparsely  as  to 
leave  the  ground  distinctly  visible ;  on  the  whole  somewhat  resembling 
the  eggs  of  the  Song  Sparrow,  with  endless  variations ;  four  or  five  in 
number;  size,  .Box. 60. 

559fl.    Spizella  mosticola  ocbracea    Brewst.    [210,  part.] 

Weatem  Tr«e  Sparrow. 

Hab.  Western  North  America,  breeding  in  Alaska,  wintering  in  Western  United  States,  south  to 
Texas,  New  Mexico  and  Ariiona. 

A  paler  colored  Tree  Sparrow  which  breeds  in  Alaska  and  south- 
ward to  an  undetermined  latitude.    Nesting  and  eggs  in  nowise  peculiar. 

Eggs,  .78 X. 55. 

560.    Spizella  socialis    (Wils.)    [211.] 

Chipping  Sparroiir. 

Hab.  Eastern  North  America,  north  to  Great  Slave  Lake,  west  to  the  Plains,  south  into  Eastern 
Mexico. 

Nearly  everybody  knows  this  familiar  little  bird  as  Chippy,  Chip- 
bird,  or  Hair-'iird.  The  latter  name  is  given  it  from  the  fact  that  its 
nest  is  for  thi  nost  part,  composed  of  horse  hair,  with  a  slight  founda- 
tion of  fine  gi\  >  and  vej-^etable  fibres.  The  breeding  season  is  usually 
in  May  and  Juui  The  nest  is  built  anywhere  in  bushes,  hedges,  trees 
of  any  size,  and  almost  in  any  situation.  In  exceptional  cases  it  has 
been  found  built  on  the  ground.  The  same  pair  of  birds  if  unmolested 
will  return  and  breed  in  the  vicinity  of  their  former  nest  year  after 
year.  Three  or  four  eggs  are  laid,  rarely  five,  bluish-green,  sparsely 
spotted  with  blackish-brown  and  purplish,  sometimes  in  a  circle  about 
the  larger  end.  Ten  eggs  selected  on  account  of  their  sizes  measure : 
.6ox  .50,  .62  x  .52,  .65X  .52,  .69X  .50,  .69X  .53,  .71  X  .54,  .7o;x  .50,  .72  X  .51, 

.67X.50,  .73 X. 52. 

560a.    Spizella  socialis  arizonee    Coues.    [211a.] 

'Western  Chipping  Sparrow. 

Hab.  Western  North  America,  east  to  Rocky  Mountains;  in  summer  north  to  beyond  60°;  south  in 
winter  to  southern  Mexico. 

Eggs  in  my  collection  of  this  paler  western  sub-species  do  not 
seem  to  differ  essentially  from  those  of  socialis.    Nesting  the  same. 

561.    Spizella  pallida    (Swains.)    [212.] 

Clay-oolored  Sparrow. 

Hab.  Interior  regions  of  North  America  from  Northern  Illinois,  Wisconsin  and  Iowa,  west  to  base  of 
Rocky  Mountains,  north  to  the  Saskatchewan,  south  to  Texas  and  New  Mexico;  in  winter  to  Lower  Cali- 
fornia  and  Mexico. 

The   Clay-colored    Sparrow  breeds  from  Northern  Illinois  and 


l!l^ 


I  I 


I  *  i 
i  ' 

''i 


^ 


■Mr^^   I 


w^&m 


308 


NESTS  AND   EGGS   OF 


Central  Iowa  northward.  Mr.  J.  W.  Preston  found  it  breeding  in 
Winnebago  county,  Iowa,  in  June,  1885,  and  in  the  summers  of  1885 
and  1886  in  Becker  county,  Minnesota.  The  bird  is  an  abundant 
breeder  in  Western  Manitoba.  The  nesting  season  is  usually  in  May 
and  June.  Mr.  Preston  found  the  bird  frequenting  the  edges  of  brush 
and  the  borders  of  timber.  The  ncats  were  placed  on  the  ground ;  one, 
however,  was  built  in  the  branches  '''"a  low  hazel.  The  materials  used 
in  the  construction  of  the  nests  were  fine,  round  grasses  and  blades, 
with  a  lining  of  horse  hairs.  The  eggs  were  three  to  five  in  number, 
commonly  three  or  four,  the  latter  number  predominating.  They  are 
similar  in  color  to  those  of  the  Chipping  .Sparrow,  6".  soczah's,  and 
average  about  the  same  in  size,  .65  x  .50.  Mr.  Norris  has  a  set  of  four 
taken  near  Detroit,  Minnesota,  June  4,  1886 ;  their  sizes  are :  .64  x  .47, 
.64X.47,  .62X.47,  .64X.48;  in  these  specimens  the  markings  are 
fainter  than  are  those  of  S.  socialis.  As  many  as  six  eggs  are  said  to 
be  laid  by  this  species. 

562.    Spizella  breweri    Cass    [213.] 

Brewer's  Sparrow. 

Hab.  Western  United  States,  from  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  the  Pacific,  south  in  winter  to  North- 
western Mexico. 

This  bird  has  very  much  the  appearance  of  the  Clay-colored 
Sparrow,  but  is  paler  ?nd  duller,  all  the  markings  being  indistinct. 
It  is  found  from  the  Pacific  coast  to  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  from 
the  northern  portion  of  California  to  the  Rio  Grande  and  Mexico,  and 
is  especially  abundant  in  Arizona  and  New  Mexico.  It  inhabits  almost 
exclusively  open  fields  and  bushy  plains.  The  nests  are  placed  in 
bushes,  usually  the  sage,  a  few  feet  from  the  ground.  It  is  composed 
of  dry  grasses,  rootlets,  and  lined  with  hair.  The  eggs  are  generally 
.four  in  number.  A  series  of  the  eggs  of  this  species  in  Mr.  Norris' 
cabinet,  collected  near  Fort  Klamath,  Oregon,  resemble  in  size  and 
coloration  the  eggs  of  the  Chipping  Sparrow,  but  as  a  rule  the  markings 
are  larger,  and  of  a  more  reddish  tint  than  in  those  of  the  former 
species.  A  set  of  three  containing  the  smallest  eggs  exhibit  the 
following  sizes :  .62  x  .48,  .63  x  .48,  .63  x  .49 ;  one  of  four  with  larger 
eggs,  .69 X  .53,  .64  X  .52,  .67  X  .53,  .64  X  .52 

563.    Spizella  pusilla    (Wils.)    [214.] 

Field  Sparroir- 

Hab.    Eastern  United  States  and  Southern  Canada,  west  to  the  edge  of  the  Great  Plains. 

The  Field  Sparrow  is  an  abundant  species  in  Eastern  United  States 
where  it  may  be  seen  during  the  summer  months  frequenting  the 
borders  of  upland  woods,  fields  and  edges  oi  thickets.  It  sings 
during  the  whole  day,  especially  at  mid-day  when  most  birds  are  silent, 


pnnpfn 


NORTH   AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


309 


ceding  in 
rs  of  1885 

abundant 
ly  in  May 
5  of  brush 
iind;  one, 
jrials  used 
id  blades, 
number, 

They  are 
talis,  and 
et  of  four 

.64x47, 
dngs  are 
re  said  to 


Iter  to  North- 

y-colored 
ndistinct. 
and  from 
xico,  and 
ts  almost 
Dlaced  in 
lomposed 
generally 
r.  Norris' 
size  and 
narkings 
e  former 
libit  the 
:h  larger 


id  States 
ting  the 
It  sings 
re  silent, 


and  a  telegraph  wire  is  a  favorite  perch  while  singing.  The  nest  is 
placed  in  bushes  or  upon  the  ground  in  a  tussock  or  at  the  root  of  a 
bush  in  a  thicket,  frequently  in  briers  along  roadsides  or  upon  the 
ground  in  pastures,  but  the  birds  nearly  always  (in  Ohio  at  least) 
during  the  breeding  season,  confine  themselves  to  the  outskirts  of 
woods  with  thick  undergrowth.  The  nest  is  composed  of  grasses  on  a 
foundation  of  leaves  ;  the  lining  is  of  hair.  The  eggs  are  commonly 
four,  sometimes  three  or  five.  The  predominating  ground  color  of  the 
eggs  is  buflfy-white,  or  clay,  while  others  have  a  greenish-white  ground ; 
the  markings  are  in  the  form  of  specks  and  spots  of  various  shades  of 
brown,  which  are  sometimes  so  dense  at  the  larger  end  as  to  almost 
wholly  obscure  the  ground  color.  The  eggs  rarely  measure  less  than 
.61  or  more  than  .73  in  length,  and  in  breadth  .49  or  more  than  .55 ; 
the  average  is  .68X.52.  Two  or  three  broods  are  reared  in  a  season, 
the  nesting  time  being  in  May,  June  and  July. 

*  *    Spizella  pusilla  arenacea    Chadb. 

Western  Field  Sparro'w. 

Hab.    Great  Plains,  from  Southern  Texas  north  to  Wyoming  Territory  and  Nebraska. 

A  new  sub-species  inhabiting  the  Great  Plains  of  Western  United 
States.     Nesting  and  eggs  indistinguishable  from  5".  pusilla, 

565.    Spizella  atrigularis    (Cab)    [215.] 

Blaok-ohinued  Sparrow. 

Hab.  Mexico  and  southern  border  of  the  United  States  from  the  Lower  Rio  Grande  Valley  to 
Southern  California;  Lowei  California. 

The  Black-chinned  Sparrow  is  a  rather  common  species  in  all 
suitable  places  from  the  southern  border  of  the  United  States  south- 
ward. It  inhabits  the  border  of  thickets,  grassy  fields  and  low  shrub- 
bery. These  places  are  its  favorite  nesting  sites.  A  set  of  three  eggs 
in  Mr.  Norris'  cabinet,  was  taken  June  3,  1886,  near  San  Gorgonia  Pass, 
California.  The  nest  was  placed  in  a  low  bush.  The  eggs  are  plain, 
light  greenish-blue,  about  the  color  of  the  eggs  of  the  Bluebird.  They 
measure :  .68  x  .52,  .69  x  .53,  .69  x  .54. 

567.    Junco  hyemalis    (Linn.)     [217.] 

Slate-colored  Jnuoo. 

Hab.  North  America  at  large,  breeding  from  th(>  higher  portions  of  the  AUeghanies,  Northern 
New  York,  and  Northern  New  England  to  Alaska  (except  the  Pacific  coast  district,  or  south  and  east 
of  the  peninsula)  south  in  winter  to  the  Gulf  States, 

Better  known  as  the  Black  Snowbird,  and  in  most  of  the  United 
States  is  oftener  seen  during  the  winter  months.  Breeds  in  the 
mountains  of  Northern  Pennsylvania,  New  York,  and  New  England ; 
is  resident  throughout  the  year  in  Northeastern  Ohio,  and  in 
Michigan.  Mr.  Mcllwraith  gives  it  as  a  fairly  common  resident  of 
Ontario  where,  in  the  southern  portion,  it  is  known  as  the   "  White 


in 


lliin 


310 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OP 


Bill."  Mr.  William  h.  Kells  states  that  in  Ontario,  the  Slate-colored 
Junco  selects  various  places  for  nesting  sites,  such  as  the  up-turned 
roots  of  trees,  crevices  in  banks,  under  the  sides  of  logs  and  stumps, 
a  cavity  under  broken  sod,  or  in  the  shelter  of  grass  or  other  vegeta- 
tion. The  nest  is  made  of  dry  grasses,  warmly  and  smoothly  lined 
with  hair.  Mr.  Kells  says  the  bird  generally  begins  to  nest  the  first 
week  of  May,  and  nests  with  eggs  are  found  as  late  as  August.  The 
set  of  eggs  is  usually  four  or  five  in  number,  of  a  whitish  color,  vary- 
ing to  a  greenish-white,  more  or  less  speckled  with  reddish-brown,  with 
an  average  size  of  .78X.57.  A  set  of  four  eggs  taken  by  J.  A.  Dakin, 
on  May  4,  in  Onondaga  county.  New  York,  measure  .75x,5o,  .76 x 
.56,  .78  X  .57,  .80  X  .58.  A  nest  of  this  species  was  found  on  the  rafters 
of  a  barn  in  Connecticut. 

*  *   Junco  hyemdis  carolinensis    Brewst. 

Carolina  Jnnoo. 

Hab.     Higher  portions  of  the  southern  Alleghanies. 

According  to  Mr.  Wm.  Brewster  this  new  variety  of  the  Black 
Snowbird  diflfers  from  /.  hyevtalis  in  being  larger,  with  lighter, 
bluer  and  more  uniform  coloration,  and  a  horn-colored  instead  of  pink- 
ish-white or  yellowish  bill.  Mr.  Brewster  found  this  bird  at  Highlands 
and  on  the  Black  Mountains  of  Western  North  Carolina.  He  states 
that  it  is  probable  that  the  birds  represent  the  form  which  breeds  on 
the  mountains  of  Virginia  and  Pennsylvania. 

Two  sets  of  eggs  are  in  Mr.  Brewster's  collection  taken  by  Mr. 
Boynton,  at  Highlands,  respectively  June  30  and  July  7,  1885.  "  The 
eggs  are  larger  than  those  of  hyenialis  but  similar  in  color  and  mark- 
ings." The  nests  are  also  larger  and  composed  of  coarser  material, 
although  both  are  neatly  lined  with  horse-hair.  The  one  collected 
July  7  was  placed  "  in  a  bank  by  the  roadside,"  a  site  often  chosen  by 
our  northern  birds,  but  the  other  was  built  in  a  berry  bush,  four  feet 
above  the  ground.  Both  sets  of  eggs  were  perfectly  fresh,  a  fact  which 
proves  that  the  bird  breeds  very  irregularly  and  probably  twice  at 
least  in  the  same  season.* 

Mr.  George  B.  Sennett  found  this  species  breeding  in  the  moun- 
tains of  Western  North  Carolina.  On  Roan  Mountain  the  birds  were  ex- 
ceedingly abundant  at  an  altitude  of  6300  feet.  In  the  latter  half  of  April 
they  were  paired  and  buildin;j,  and  many  complete  nests  were  discov- 
ered. Fresh -laid  eggs  and  young  in  all  stages  were  found  in  July. 
The  nests  were  found  in  all  sorts  of  places  —  in  the  open  fields,  among 
the  grass  hummocks,  along  the  edge  of  cow-paths,  myrtle  tussocks, 

«Auk.  in,  pp.  109  -  no. 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


311 


under  balsams  or  under  the  deciduous  trees  of  a  lower  altitude.  Two 
nests  were  found  in  balsam  trees  three  and  five  feet  respectively  from 
the  ground.* 

567a.    Janco  hyemalis  oregonus    (Towns.)    [218.] 

Oregon  Jnnoo. 

Hab.  Western  North  America.  Breeds  along  the  Pacific  coast  region  from  California  northward  M 
Sitka. 

Mr.  A.  W.  Anthony  notes  this  as  one  of  the  most  common  birds 

of  Northwestern    Oregon,  rearing  three    and   often  four  broods  in  a 

season.     He  states  that  the  birds  nest  in  various  locations ;  in  hollows  of 

the  ground   under  low  bi.shes,   the  nest  being  built  flush  with  the 

surface ;  also  in  holes  among  the  roots  of  bushes  and  trees,  and  many 

nests   are  found  under    wood-piles.     Some  were  foimd  built  on  the 

shelf  of  a  railroad   cut,   which  was  screened  by  a  thick  curtain   of 

vines.     Nesting    begins  about   the  last  of  March,   or   first  of  ApriL 

The  materials  of  the  nests  are  dry  grasses  rather  loosely  put  together 

with  a  lining  of  cow-hair.     The  eggs  are  usually  four,  rarely  five  in 

number.     Several  sets  in  Mr.  Norris'  collection,  on  the  whole  bear  a 

great  resemblance  to  those  of  J.  hyemalis.     One   of  four  eggs  was 

taken  near  Salem,  Oregon,  May  5,  1888.     These  have  a  greenish-white 

ground,  speckled  and  wreathed  with  vinaceous ;  their  sizes  are  .']']'x. 

•59)  -77 X -59)  .76X.60,  .78X.59.     A  set  of  three  collected  June  2,  1888, 

near  Fort  Klamath   are   bluish-white  and  marked  like  the  first  set; 

sizes:  .78X.57,   .79X.57,  .75X.57.     A  third  set  of   three    taken  by 

Dr.  James  C.  Merrill,  U.  S.  A.,  near  Fort  Klamath,  contained  three 

eggs  like  those  of  the  last,  and  measured  .78X.57,  .75X.57,  .78X.57, 

respectively. 

568.    Junco  annectens    Baird.    [219.] 

Pink-sided  Jnnoo. 

Hab.  Rocky  Mountain  district,  from  Arizona  and  New  Mexico  north  to  Idaho  and  Montana. 

The  Pink-sided  Junco  is  found  in  the  Rocky  Mountain  region, 
breeding  from  Fort  Bridger  i;orthward.  Dr.  Merrill  found  it  rather 
common  in  the  mountains  of  Montana,  at  considerable  height  and 
among  the  pines.  A  nest  taken  June  13  was  at  the  top  of  a  ridge  con- 
necting two  peaks,  at  an  elevation  of  Scxdo  feet.  The  nest  was  under  a 
shelving  stone,  in  a  little  hollow  dug  out  by  the  parents ;  it  was  rather 
large  and  compactly  built,  composed  of  coarse,  dry  grasses,  with  an 
inner  lining  of  fine  yellow  straw  and  hair  of  the  mountain  .sheep. 
The  eggs,  five  in  number,  were  far  advanced  in  incubation  and  one 
was  broken  in  blowing.  The  four  remaining  specimens  measure  .81  x 
.60,  .80X.59,  .84X.60,  .83X.60.  They  are  described  as  dull  yellowish- 
whitish,  spotted  and  blotched  with  light  reddish-brown  and  lavender. 

*  Auk.  IV,  pp.  242— 343. 


I  '[■ 


l! 


■n- 


312 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OP 


The  Spots  are  scattered  over  the  entire  surface  of  the  eggs,  but  are 
largest  and  more  numerous  at  the  larger  end. 


569. 


[220.] 


Junco  caniceps    (Woodh). 

Gray-headed  Jnnoo. 

Hab.  Rocky  Mountain  district,  from  the  Black  Hills  to  the  Wabash  and  other  Mountains  of  Utah,  south 
to  Mexico  and  Arizona, 

The  Gray-headed  Snowbird  is  a  common  .^eder  in  the  moun- 
tainous regions  of  Central  Colorado  and  Utah  southward,  nesting  in 
June,  July  and  August,  raising  two,  perhaps  three  broods  in  a  season. 
Its  nest  resembles  that  of  Junco  annecteus^  being  built  on  the  ground 
in  sheltered  positions.  The  eggs  have  a  difference  in  ground-color 
varying  from  white  and  pinkish-white  to  bluish  or  greenish-white, 
very  faintly  dotted  (the  markings  being  very  minute)  over  the  whole 
surface  but  chiefly  at  the  larger  end  with  reddish-brown. 


Hab. 


570.    Junco  cinereus  palliatus    Ridgw. 

Arlsona  Jnnoo* 

Southern  Arizona  and  adjacent  portions  of  Mexico. 


[  222,  part^ 


This  is  a  common  species  at  the  higher  altitudes  in  the  mountains 
of  Southern  Arizona,  where  it  dwells  in  the  depths  of  the  pine  forests. 
It  is  generally  mated  in  April,  and  nests  may  be  found  in  May  and 
June ;  these  are  placed  on  the  ground  under  bushes,  or  otherwise 
sheltered.  The  eggs  are  described  as  being  plain  greenish-white, 
unmarked,  size,  .78X.60. 

570a.    Junco  cinereus  dorsalis    Henry.     [221.] 

Red-baoked  Jnnoo. 

Hab.    Mountains  of  New  Mexico  and  Eastern  Arizona. 

A  common  bird  in  the  high  mountains  of  New  Mexico,  and  in  the 
eastern  portion  of  Arizona.  July  16,  Mr.  F.  Stephens  found  a  nest  of 
this  bird  in  New  Mexico,  under  a  tuft  of  grass,  which  contained  three 
perfectly  fresh  eggs.  When  blown,  they  are  white,  with  a  slight  tinge 
of  green,  speckled  sparsely  all  over,  except  at  the  smaller  ends,  with 
small  brownish  dots;  sizes,  .74 x. 58,  .76X.62,  .77 x. 63.  Some  eggs 
are  marked  in  the  form  of  a  ring  around  the  larger  end. 


572.     Junco  insularls    Ridgw. 

Onadalnpe  Jnnoo. 

Hab.    Guadalupe  Island,  Lower  California. 


[223-] 


Mr.  Bryant  found  this  Snowbird  common  on  Guadalupe  Island, 
inhabiting  the  palm,  pine  and  cypress  groves.  The  birds  mated 
early,  soon  after  the  first  of  the  year,  and  were  incubating  by  the  26th 
of  January.  A  nest  found  March  10,  contained  four  young,  hatched 
but  a  few  days  before.  It  was  placed  in  a  depression,  flush  with  the 
surface  of  the  ground,  and  concealed  by  a  covering  of  brush.     Full 


wmm 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


313 


s,  but  are 


of  Utah,  south 

le  mouu- 
esting  in 
a  season. 
-  ground 
ind-color 
h-white, 
le  whole 


)untains 
forests, 
fay  and 
herwise 
i-white, 


'■  in  the 
lest  of 
i  three 
t  tinge 
,  with 
-  eggs 


5land, 
nated 

26th 
:ched 
I  the 

Full 


fledged  young  were  taken  March  16 ;  also  a  nest  with  three  fresh  eggs. 
This  nest  was  placed  in  the  cleft  of  a  pine  tree,  which  grew  near  the 
edge  of  a  precipice.  It  was  composed  of  a  few  pieces  of  bark-mass, 
light-colored  dry  grass  blades,  and  a  tail-feather  of  a  petrel,  all  sur- 
rounding a  quantity  of  grass,  lined  within  with  goat-hair.  The  three 
eggs  which  the  nest  contained,  Mr.  Bryant  says,  were  probably  the 
second  setting,  judging  from  the  ragged  appearance  of  the  female, 
indicating  previous  cares.  Their  color  is  a  pale  greenish-white, 
marked  with  fine  dots  of  reddish-brown  clustered  around  the  larger 
end.     They  measure  19.5  x  15,  20x15.5,  20  x  16  millimeters.* 

573.    Amphispiza  bilineata    (Cass.)    [224.] 

Blaok-throated  Sparrow. 

Hab  Southwestern  United  States — Texas  to  Lower  California  —  south  into  Mexico,  north  in  the 
interior  to  Nevada,  Utah  and  western  portions  of  Colorado. 

The  Black-throated  Sparrow  is  an  inhabitant  of  the  southwestern 
portion  of  the  United  States  from  Western  Texas  to  the  Pacific.  Mr. 
Wm.  Lfloyd  found  it  breeding  in  Western  Texas,  nesting  in  the  cat-claw 
or  chapparal  bushes.  Nests  were  found  May  6  and  13,  June  12,  and 
July  13  containing  fresh  eggs,  indicating  that  the  bird  rears  at  least 
two  broods  in  a  season.  Mr.  Scott  notes  this  species  as  a  common 
resident  in  the  foothill  region  of  the  Catalinas  and  also  about  Tucson, 
breeding  commonly  at  both  points  generally  at  considerable  elevation. 
At  an  altitude  of  4500  feet  in  the  Catalina  region  the  breeding  season 
begins  early  in  March  and  continues  well  into  the  latter  part  of  the 
summer.  "  The  nests  he  states  are  built  near  the  ground  in  some  low 
bush  or  cactus,  and  occasionally  on  the  ground. 

The  eggs  are  three  to  five,  three  or  tour  being  the  general  com- 
plement. Mr.  Sennett  secured  several  sets  of  eggs  of  this  species  at 
lyomita,  on  the  Lower  Rio  Grande,  in  April.  Mr.  Davis  informs  me 
that  he  took  two  sets  of  the  Black-throated  Sparrow's  eggs  in  East- 
land county,  Texas,  in  June ;  one  set  was  far  advanced  in  incubation, 
the  other  on  the  14th  was  fresh.  Mr.  Norris  has  a  set  of  four 
eggs  of  this  species  taken  April  21,  1888,  near  Fort  Clarke,  Texas. 
The  nest  was  in  a  bush,  eighteen  inches  from  the  ground,  and  was 
composed  of  dry  grass,  lined  with  wool  and  horse-hairs.  The  eggs  are 
plain  bluish-white,  a^d  measure  .71  x  .51,  .71  x  .51,  .70  x  .50,  .70  x  .51. 

574.    Amphispiza  bel'i    (Cass.)    [225] 

Bell'a  Sparrow^. 

Hab.  California,  south  to  Cape  St.  Lucas. 

An  abundant  bird  in  all  the  thickets  throughout  Southern  Cali- 
fornia.   A  set  of  three  eggs,  in  Mr.  Norris'  cabinet,  was  taken  by  A. 

•.77X.59,  .70x.61,  .79x63.    , 


'V 


Uil-M 


Uii^^ 


314 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


M.  Ingersoll,  near  San  Diego,  California,  on  May  5,  1887.  Inribation 
was  commenced.  The  nest  was  about  three  feet  above  the  ground,  in 
a  small  bush.  The  eggs  are  greenish-white,  speckled  principally  at 
the  larger  ends  with  cinnamon :     .73X  .56,  .73  x  .55,  .72  x  .56 

574a.    Amphispiza  belli  nevadensis    (Ridgw.)    [225a.] 

Sage  Sparroir. 

Hab.  Artemisia  Plains  of  Western  United  States,  north  to  Idaho,  Montana,  and  Wyoming  Territories, 
east  to  Colorado  and  New  Mexico,  south  to  interior  of  Southern  California,  and  Northern  Mexico. 

This  bird  abounds  in  the  sage-brush  deserts  of  Nevada,  Utah, 
New  Mexico,  and  Arizona.  Nests  found  near  Carson  City,  Nevada, 
are  described  as  being  artfully  concealed,  either  sunken  in  the  ground 
or  a  few  inches  above  it,  in  the  lower  branches  of  a  bush ;  they  are 
composed  of  sage-brush  bark,  dry  grasses,  etc.  The  eggs  are  light 
greenish,  marked  all  over  with  very  fine  dots  of  a  reddish-brown, 
around  the  larger  end  a  ring  of  confluent  blotches  of  dark  purple  and 
lines  of  darker  brown ;  almost  black ;  size  .80  x  .60.  Three  or  four  are 
the  usual  number  deposited. 


575. 


[226.] 


PeucsBa  SBstivalis    (  Light.) 

Pina-'wooda  Sparrowi 

Hab.     Florida  and  southern  portion  of  Georgia. 

The  Pine-woods  Sparrow  is  common  in  some  localities  of  Florida, 
where  it  breeds  in  May  and  June.  In  Alachua  county,  Florida,  Mr. 
Frank  M.  Chapman  states  that  it  is  common  only  in  one  locality,  a 
high,  open,  palmetto  pinery,  where.  May  21,  1887,  a  nest  was  found 
with  four  fresh  eggs. 

In  a  letter  to  Capt.  Bendire,  Mr.  Chapman  states  that  this  nest 
was  placed  beneath  a  scrub  palmetto,  and  was  constructed  almost 
entirely  of  fine,  dry  grasses.  It  was  firmly  made,  and  held  well 
together  when  lifted  from  the  ground.  It  was  not  arched  over  in  any 
way,  which  seems  to  be  the  peculiarity  in  the  nesta^^f  Peuccsa 
CBstivalis  bachjnanit.  The  nest  was  perfectly  round,  withklfe  sides  of 
rims  everywhere  of  equal  height,  and  was  a  symmetric^'  and  well- 
proportioned  structure.  Three  of  the  eggs  taken  by  Mr.  Chapman 
are  in  the  National  Museum  collection,  and  are  described  by  Capt. 
Bendire  as  pure  white,  slightly  glossy,  and  rounded-oval  in  shape; 
sizes,  .71  x. 61,  .74x61,  .71X.61. 

575  a.    PeucjBa  sestivalis  bachmanil  (Aud.)    [226a.] 

Baoknian's  Sparrow. 

Hab.  South  Atlantic  and  Gulf  States,  and  Lower  Mississippi  Valley,  north  'to  North  Carolina, 
Eastern  Tennessee,  Kentucky,  Southern  Illinois,  and  west  to  middle  Northern  Texas. 

Mr.  Arthur  T.  Wayne  informs  me  that  in  the  region  about 
Charleston,  South  Carolina,  Bachman's  Finch  breeds  in  April,  May, 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


315 


Inribation 
[  ground,  in 
incipally  at 
» 

I 

ning  Territories, 
sxico. 

ada,  Utah, 
y',  Nevada, 
he  ground 
;  they  are 
are  light 
sh-brown, 
'«rple  and 
•r  four  are 


Florida, 
rida,  Mr. 
'cality,  a 
as  found 

his  nest 
1  almost 
:Id  well 
"  in  any 
Peuc^a 
ides  of 
d  well- 
lapman 
f  Capt. 
shape ; 


Carolin  a, 

about 


May, 


June  and  July,  making  its  nest  upon  the  ground  in  pine  woods.  He 
states  that  the  birds  breed  in  numbers  seven  miles  north  of  Charleston, 
but  the  nests  are  difficult  to  find,  only  a  single  one  having  come  under 
his  observation.  Mr.  William  I^loyd  notes  Bachman's  Sparrow  as  a 
summer  visitor  in  eastern  Concho  county,  Texas,  where  nests  are 
found  from  May  20  to  June  i. 

Capt.  Charles  E.  Bendire  describes  five  nests,  and  several  full 
sets  of  eggs  of  Bachman's  Sparrow,  which  were  presented  to  the 
National  Museum  collection  by  Dr.  William  C.  Avery,  of  Greensboro, 
Alabama,  in  which  vicinity  they  were  taken  in  the  months  of  May  and 
June.  Capt.  Bendire  says :  '*  All  the  nests  of  this  bird  vary  totally  in 
structure  from  those  of  the  other  species  of  the  genus  Peuceea^  as  far 
as  known  to  me.  They  are  all  distinctly  roofed-over  or  domed,  a 
feature  only  found  in  the  nest  of  a  closely  allied  species,  Embernagra 
rufivirgata^  the  Texas  Sparrow,  which  constructs  a  somewhat  similar 
nest.  They  are  cylindrical  in  shape,  about  seven  or  eight  inches  long 
by  three  inches  in  height  and  four  and  one-half  inches  wide.  The 
inner  cavity  is  from  three  to  four  inches  in  length,  about  two  inches 
wide,  and  one  and  three-quarters  inches  high.  The  rear  wall  of  the 
nest  is  about  one  and  three-quarters  inches  thick,  the  sides  about  an 
inch,  and  the  roof  a  little  over  half  an  inch  in  thickness.  These  meas- 
urements vary  somewhat  in  different  specimens.  The  nests  are  all  con- 
structed out  of  dry  grasses  exclusively,  and  are  lined  with  fine  grass 
tops  only.  Some  are  much  more  artistically  and  compactly  built  than 
others;  the  roof  projects  somewhat  over  the  entrance  in  all  cases." 
The  nest  is  always  placed  in  a  depression  of  the  ground,  and  the 
entrance  is  invariably  canted  upwards  at  an  angle  of  about  15°.  The 
entrance  to  the  majority  of  the  nests  faced  the  west.*  The  nests 
were  found  in  growths  of  old-field  pines,  in  patches  of  pine  and  plum 

♦Doubtless  the  honor  of  giving  the  first  description  of  the  arched  or  domed  nests  of  Bachman's 
Finch,  belongs  to  Mr.  T.  D.  Perry,  of  Savannah,  Georgia.  His  account  was  published  in  "  The  Young 
Oologist,"  for  October,  18S4,  p.  83.  As  the  article  sheds  some  light  on  other  characteristics  of  the  birdi, 
I  quote  it  in  full,  as  follows:  "This  species,  I  believe,  is  somewhat  rare  and  but  little  known,  but  this 
season  I  had  the  good  fortune  to  find  them  breeding  quite  numerously  among  the  rank  grass  in  old 
fields.  They  are  somewhat  shy  in  their  actions  when  flushed  from  the  nest,  running  off  a  little  way, 
beatiag  the  ground  with  the  wings  and  uttering  a  slight  chirping  sound,  seeming  all  the  time  to  be  in 
great  distress.  They  build  on  the  ground  in  a  slight  hollow;  nest  composed  of  dry  grass  and  roots; 
nest  nearly  arched  over;  they  lay  four  white  eggs,  one-half  inch  wide  by  three-quarters  long.  The 
first  nest  I  found  was  on  May  18,  incubation  far  advanced;  therefore  allowing  for  time  of  building, 
laying  of  eggs,  and  advancement  of  incubation,  it  stands  to  reason  that  they  commence  to  build  about 
the  last  of  April.  All  the  nests  that  I  have  ever  found  (and  I  found  nine  (9)  this  season,  in  which  all 
except  two,  had  young  large  enough  to  fly)  hav«  been  in  the  same  field,  and  in  nearly  every  instance 
have  been  near  a  path,  leaving  little  doubt  that  they  are  sociable  birds,  and  prefer  to  breed  in  company. 
They  do  not  rise  right  off  the  nest,  but  seem  to  run  through  the  grass  a  little  way  before  flying,  but  by 
standing  still  and  watching,  you  will  soon  see  the  bird  sneaking  back,  and  you  will  find  the  nest  every 
time,  at  least  I  have  found  it  so.  Whether  they  remain  wi^h  us  the  whole  year,  ur  only  come  from 
farther  South  to  breed,  I  am  at  present  unable  to  say." 


Klr,i  I 


.  t, 

li: 


1-         ! 


1:1 

I  Hi 


316 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


bushes,  on  slopes  of  hills,  in  open  spaces  under  fallen  branches. 
The  birds  do  not  rise  off  the  nest  as  other  birds  do  when  disturbed, 
but  run  some  distance  before  taking  flight. 

Capt.  Bendire  states  that  the  eggs  of  Bachman's  Sparrow  in  the 
National  Museum,  collected  by  Dr.  Avery,  are  pure  white,  but  with 
less  gloss  than  those  of  P.  cestivalis^  more  of  a  dead  white.  A  set  of 
four  nearly  fresh  eggs  taken  May  8,  gives  the  following  sizes :  .72  x  .56, 
•75X.55)  -y^x.ss,  .71X.55.  A  set  taken  June  23,  measures  .75 x 
•57>  •75X.60,  .77 X. 61,  .76X.61.  *  Capt.  B,  F.  Goss  has  a  set  of  four 
eggs  in  his  collection,  taken  by  Mr.  Wayne.  These  measure  .79  x 
.63,  .75X.63,  .75X.63,  .75X.63. 

576-577.  PeucsBa  mexicana    (Lawr.) 

Mexioan  Sparrow.t 

Hab.  Valley  of  the  Kio  Grande  in  Texas,  Southern  New  Mexico  and  Arizona,  south  in  winter 
to  Northern,  Central  and  Western  Mexico. 

Dr.  James  C.  Merrill,  met  with  this  species  on  the  Lower  Rio 
Grande  in  Texas.  He  says  the  bird  is  found  in  some  abundance  on 
a  salt  prairie  about  nine  miles  from  Fort  Brown,  and  it  was  obtained 
with  difficulty,  as  it  could  rarely  be  flushed  from  among  the  tall  grass. 
"  A  nest,  found  June  16,  1877,  was  placed  among  the  roots  of  a  tussock 
of  grass ;  it  was  made  of  blades  and  stems  of  grasses,  and  was  rather 
deep,  but  so  frail  that  it  fell  to  pieces  on  removal.  The  eggs,  four 
in  number,  were  quite  fresh.  They  are  unspotted,  white,  strongly 
tinged  with  greenish-blue,  and  measure  .82  x  .63."  Prof.  Ridgway 
describes  the  eggs  as  plain,  pure  white,  size,  .72  x  .58. 

578.    Peucsea  casslni    (Woodh.)    [228.] 

Cassin'a  Spaxvonir. 

Hab.  Southwestern  border  of  United  States.  Texas  to  Arizona,  and  Northern  Mexico;  north  in 
tuinmer  to  the  Plains  of  Kansas. 

Col.  N.  S.  Goss  states  that  this  species  is  a  not  uncommon 
summer  resident  in  Middle  and  Western  Kansas,  arriving  from  the 
first  to  the  middle  of  May.  Begins  laying  about  the  tenth  of  June. 
Their  favorite  resorts  and  breeding  grounds  are  on  the  barren  plains 
that  are  dotted  over  with  low,  stunted  bushes.  Dr.  Merrill  says  Cassin's 
Sparrow  arrives  in  the  region  of  the  Lower  Rio  Grande  in  Texas, 
about  the  middle  of  March,  and  frequents  the  open  chapparal  and 
thick  bushes.  Nests  were  found  April  28,  and  May  4  and  22,  1877. 
They  were  placed  at  the  foot  of  small  bushes,  and  scarcely  raised 
above  the  ground  ;  were  composed  of  dried  grasses,  lined  with  finer 
ones  and  a  few  hairs,  but  were  very  frail.     Thirteen  eggs  taken  from 

*  For  Capt.  Bendire's  detailed  account  of  the  nest  and  eggs  of  Peuccea  cestivalit  bachmanii  se« 
The  Auk,  October,  1888,  pp.  351-350. 

t  This  includes  P.  arizontt  which,  according  to  Prof.  Ridgway,  proves  to  be  not  separable. 


NORTH  AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


817 


1  branches. 
1  disturbed, 

rrow  in  the 
e,  but  with 
.     A  set  of 

sures  75  X 
set  of  four 
asure  .79 x 


xith 


'n    winter 


/ower  Rio 
idance  on 

obtained 
tall  grass, 
a  tussock 
as  rather 
g:gs,  four 

strongly 
R-idgway 


:o;  north  in 

:ommon 

om  the 

f  June. 

1  plains 

!^assin's 

Texas, 

al  and 

1877. 

raised 

finer 

from 

anii  see 


these  nests  are  pure  white,  and  average  .74  x  .57.  Mr.  Lloyd  found 
nests  of  this  species  in  Western  Texas  in  May,  that  were  placed  in 
bushes  not  higher  than  a  foot  from  the  ground,  or  in  tufts  of  grasses. 

579.    PeucsBa  carpalis    Coues.     [229.] 

Rnfona-winged  Sparrovr. 

Hab.     Southern  Arizona. 

Capt.  Charles  E.  Bendire.  U.  S.  A.,  found  this  species  to  be  a 
common  resident  in  the  vicinity  of  Tucson,  Arizona.  The  birds  were 
especially  abundant  on  the  ridges  bordering  Rillitto  Creek,  on  the  dry, 
arid  catcus-covered  plains,  near  the  present  site  of  Camp  Lowell. 
Here  he  collected  many  nests  with  eggs.  The  nest  is  usually  placed 
in  low  bushes,  preferably  small  mesquites,  from  six  inches  to  five  feet 
from  the  ground,  most  frequently  about  eighteen  inches;  and  no 
especial  attempt  is  made  at  concealment.  It  is  firmly  fixed  to  a  fork 
or  crotch,  and  is  a  compact  structure,  composed  externally  of  coarse 
grasses  and  lined  with  the  fine  tops  of  the  mesquite  grass,  and  not  un- 
frequently  a  few  horse  hairs,  when  such  are  obtainable. 

About  one-half  of  the  nests  found  contained  one  or  more  eggs 
of  the  Dwarf  Cowbird.  A  set  of  three  eggs  collected  by  Capt. 
Bendire,  on  August  23,  1872,  are  in  Mr,  Norris'  collection  ;  they  are 
plain  bluish-white,  and  give  the  following  measurements:  .75X.57, 
.78X  .59,  .75  X  .58.  The  first  eggs  were  found  by  Capt.  Bendire,  June 
14,  but  the  birds  were  believed  to  commence  breeding  even  a  mouth 
earlier.     The  number  to  a  set  is  commonly  four  or  five. 

580.  PeucBBa  ruficeps    (Cass.)    [230.] 

,  ,  Knfous-oro-wued  Sparro'w. 

Hab.  California. 

The  Rufous-crowned  Sparrow  breeds  in  various  mountainous  lo- 
calities of  California,  where,  however,  it  is  somewhat  local  in  its 
distribution.  Rocky  hill-sides,  with  a  sparce  growth  of  stunted 
bushes,  are  its  favorite  resorts.  The  breeding  season  is  said  to  begin 
as  early  as  April.  The  nest  is  placed  on  the  ground  in  a  slight  hollow, 
and  is  exceedingly  hard  to  find,  as  the  sitting  female  steals  silently 
away  under  cover  of  the  surrounding  vegetation,  and  if  seen  at  all  is 
likely  to  be  mistaken  for  a  startled  mpuse.  A  nest  collected  July  10, 
by  Mr.  Charles  A.  Allen,  on  Black  Mountain,  near  Nicasio,  California, 
and  described  by  Mr.  William  Brewster,  is  outwardly  composed  of 
coarse  grass  and  weed-stocks,  lined  somewhat  scantily  with  horse 
hair,  very  loosely  put  together.  The  locality  was  an  open  heathy 
tract  on  the  mountain-side,  and  the  nest  was  placed  on  the  ground 
nnder  a  bush.  This  nest  contained  three  pure  white  eggs;  size,  .89 x 
.65.*    The  eggs  are  described  by  others  as  plain  bluish-white. 

*Bull.  Nutt.  Ornith.  Club.  II,  p.  87.    See  also  Vol.  IV  pp.  47-48 


318  NESTS  AND  BGGS  OF 

580a.    Pencsa  mfloeps  boncardi    (Scl.)    [230a.] 

Bonoard's  Sparroir. 

H>b.    Mexico  and  Lower  California  north  to  Southern  Arizona,  New  Mexico,  and  Western  Texas. 

Mr.  W.  E.  D.  Scott  found  this  species  a  resident  in  Southern  Ari- 
zona, lip  to  an  altitude  of  4000  feet  in  winter  and  nearly  loooo  feet 
during  the  warmer  months,  but  is  much  more  common  from  the  first 
of  February  until  the  middle  of  October.  He  states  that  it  does  not 
seek  cover  in  the  thick  grass  to  the  degree  or  in  the  manner  so  charac- 
teristic of  its  congeners.  A  nest  was  found  June  15,  1885,  well  up  on 
a  hillside,  at  an  altitude  of  4500  feet,  on  the  bare  ground  near  a 
tussock  of  grass.  The  nest  was  bulky  for  so  small  a  bird,  and  loosely 
put  together.  It  is  composed  of  coarse,  dry  grasses  throughout  and 
there  is  no  attempt  at  lining  with  finer  material.  Contained  in  this 
nest  were  two  young  just  hatched  and  one  egg,  apparently  fresh,  and 
plain,  dead  white;  size,  .83X.62.  Three  partly  incubated  eggs  taken 
July  27  from  a  similar  nest,  measure  .80  x  .58,  .82X.60,  .86x.6i.  A  third 
nest  found  by  Mr.  Scott  late  in  July  contained  the  same  number  of 
eggs,  which  were  almost  fresh. 

580^.    Pencsea  ruflceps  eremceca    Brown. 

Rook  Sparro-Vt 

Hab.     Eastern  Mexico,  north  to  Central  Texas. 

Mr.  Nathan  Clifford  Brown  described  this  sub-species  from  speci- 
mens taken  by  him  at  Boerne,  Texas,  in  i879-'8o.  He  states  that  he 
always  found  the  bird  in  rocky  localities,  usually  in  close  proximity  to 
a  creek,  but  occasionally  on  barren  hills  a  mile  or  more  from  water.  It 
has  the  same  shy,  skulking  habits  which  are  common  to  other  species 
of  the  genus,  rarely  taking  wing  on  the  approach  of  an  intruder  so 
long  as  rock,  bush  or  weed  affords  a  hiding  place.* 

Two  sets  of  the  eggs  of  this  bird  are  in  Mr.  Norris'  collection. 
One  was  collected  June  19,  1884,  in  Comal  county,  Texas,  the  nest 
being  on  the  ground  in  a  bunch  of  grass;  sizes,  .81  x  .61,  .85  x  .62,  .81 
X  .62,  .83  X  .62.  The  other  set  was  collected  April  4,  1882,  in  the  same 
region,  and  the  nest  was  likewise  on  the  ground  in  a  bunch  of  grass. 
These  eggs  measure,  .82  x  .64,  .78  x  .64,  .73  x  .63,  .78  x  .64.  The  eggs 
in  both  sets  are  plain  bluish-white. 

581.    Melosplza  fasciata    (Gmel.)    [231.] 

Song  Sparroiv. 

Hab.  Eastern  United  States  and  British  Provinces,  west  to  the  Plains;  breeding  chiefly  north  of  40°, 
except  east  of  the  Alleghanies. 

The  Song  Sparrow  in  its  diverse  geographical  forms  —  varying  in 
size,  color,  and  in  the  relative  size  of  the  bill,  etc.,  inhabits  the  greater 

<•  Bull.  Nutt.  Ornith.  Club,  VII,  pp.  88-89. 


NORTH  AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


319 


Ventttn  Texai. 

Juthern  Ari- 
^  loooo  feet 
om  the  first 
it  does  not 
r  so  charac- 

well  up  on 
ind  near  a 
and  loosely 
ighout  and 
led  in  this 

fresh,  and 
'-ggs  taken 
[.  A  third 
lumber  of 


om  speci- 
es that  he 
ximity  to 
^'ater.  It 
•r  species 
ruder  so 

3llection. 
the  nest 
62,  .81 
he  same 
>f  grass, 
he  eggs 


arth  of  iO", 

ying  in 
greater 


part  of  the  North  American  continent.  The  present  species  is  one  of 
the  sweetest  of  songsters  and  is  a  familiar  bird  in  Eastern  United 
States,  where,  east  of  the  Alleghanies,  it  breeds  from  South  Carolina 
north  into  the  British  Provinces.  West  of  the  Alleghanies  it  breeds 
chiefly  north  of  40°  latitude,  and  is  resident  throughout  the  year  in  a 
large  portion  of  the  area  in  which  it  breeds.  Its  nest  may  be  found 
all  through  the  summer  months,  two  or  three  broods  being  reared ; 
if  the  nest  is  destroyed  or  robbed,  a  fourth  or  fifth  is  frequently  built,  in 
which  eggs  are  deposited. 

It  is  generally  placed  on  the  ground  or  in  low  bushes.  The 
materials  used  iu  its  composition  are  grasses,  weeds  and  leaves,  lined 
with  fine  grass  stems,  roots,  and  in  some  cases  hair.  Nests  of  this  bird 
have  been  found  built  in  holes  of  apple  trees,  and  on  the  branches  six 
or  eight  feet  from  the  ground.  Again  they  have  been  placed  by  the 
side  of  a  railroad  track  where  the  trains  were  continually  passing.  It  is 
very  frequently  built  in  honeysuckle  and  other  vines  against  the  sides 
of  houses.  Curious  places  are  often  selected  as  nesting  sites,  such  as 
a  horse's  skull  in  a  grassy  field,  or  under  an  old  tin  pan  which  has  a 
hole  in  the  top. 

The  eggs  are  usually  four  or  five,  sometimes  six,  and  rarely  seven. 
So  great  is  the  diversity  in  their  coloration  and  size  that  they  generally 
serve  to  represent  the  eggs  of  several  different  species  of  "ground- 
birds"  in  the  small  boy's  collection.  They  vary  from  greenish  or 
pinkish-white  to  light  bluish-green,  more  or  less  thickly  spotted  with 
dark  reddish-brown ;  the  ground  color  and  the  spots  have  a  diversity  of 
shades ;  sizes  range  from  .75  to  .85  in  length  by  .55  to  .60  in  breadth. 

581a.    Melospiza  fasciata  fallax    (Baird.)    [231a, /ar/.] 

Seaert  Song  Sparroiv. 

Hab.     Arizona. 

A  common  bird  in  the  lower  regions  of  Arizona,  inhabiting  the 
willow  thickets  and  marsh  grass  near  water.  Its  general  habits,  nest- 
ing and  eggs  on  the  whole  are  said  to  be  indistinguishable  from  those 
of  M.  fasciata ;  three  of  four  eggs  being  the  usual  numbers  laid. 

581A    Melospiza  fasciata  montana    Hensh.    [2^10,  pari.] 

Moantain  Song  Sparrow. 

Hab.  Rocky  Mountain  district  —  Colorada,  Utah,  Nevada,  Eastern  Oregon  and  Eastern  Washington 
Territory. 

There  is  no  essential  difference  between  the  nesting  and  eggs  of 
this  Song  Sparrow  and  those  of  Af.  fasciata. 

58k.    Melospiza  fasciata  heermannl.    (Baird.)    [23  i<^.] 

Heermann'sSong  Sparrcv. 

Hab,    Interior  districts  of  California  including  the  eastern  slope  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  mountain*. 

The  California  Song  Sparrow  was  named  in  honor  of  Dr.  A.  L,. 


u. 


320 


NKSTS  AND  EGGS  OP 


Heermann,  who  first  obtained  it  in  the  Tejon  Valley.  It  has  been 
found  in  California  as  far  north  as  Sau  Francisco  and  to  the  south  and 
southeast  to  San  Diego  and  the  Mohave  River.  This  bird's  favorite 
resorts  are  on  the  hillsides,  canons  and  along  the  banks  of  streams. 
The  nest  is  placed  in  busheh;  from  two  to  six  feet  from  the  ground. 
Mr.  Emerson  states  that  the  complement  of  eggs  is  generally  four. 
The  ground  color  in  the  eggs  of  heermanni  is  generally  more  bluish 
than  in  those  of  samuclis  and  the  markings  are  heavier  and  of  a  darker 
brown  and  tend  to  be  move  confluent  at  the  larger  end  than  in  the  eggs 
of  the  latter.    The  egg  of  this  species  is  also  much  larger.     .87  x  .64. 


58W. 


[23 ''■•I 


Melospiza  fasciata  samaelis    (Baird.) 

Samuel'*  Souk  Sparrow. 

Hab.    Coast  regions  of  California. 

Wherever  there  are  salt  marshes  along  the  coast  of  California, 
Samuel's  Song  Sparrow  is  sure  to  be  found.  The  bird  is  especially 
abundant  in  the  neighborhood  of  San  Francisco.  Mr.  Emerson  in- 
forms me  that  he  has  found  the  nest  placed  on  the  ground  beneath 
tussocks  of  grass  or  in  salt  weeds  and  more  often  in  a  kind  of  low  shrub 
that  grows  on  the  old  sand  drifts.  Mr.  Walter  E.  Bryant  records  a  nest 
containing  three  eggs  taken  by  Mr.  Emerson  from  a  round  oyster  can, 
which  had  lodged  sideways  among  some  driftwood,  in  a  willow  tree. 
A  nest  before  me  taken  March  26,  near  Haywards,  California,  is 
composed  of  coarse,  dry  grasses  and  weed  stems  externally,  the  inside 
and  lining  being  made  of  finer  material  of  the  same.  Three  or  four 
eggs  are  deposited  by  thia  bird ;  their  color  is  of  a  bluish-gray,  spotted 
and  blotched  pretty  generally  over  the  surface  with  reddish-brown.  A 
set  of  three  eggs  collected  by  Mr.  Emerson,  May  i,  gives  the  follow- 
ing respective  sizes :  .79  x  .63,  .75  x  .59,  .83  x  .59 ;  another,  .75  x  .59, 
•83  X  .59>  75  X  .59- 

581<f.    Melospiza  fasciata  guttata  (Nutt.)    [231^.] 


Rnatjr  Song  Sparrow. 

Hab.    Pacific  coast  region,  from  Norlhern  California  north  to  British  C   ' 

The  Oregon  or  Rusty  Song  Sparrow  is  rt 


coast  district,  breeding  from  Northern  Cr^'^'orn 
are  described  as  being  indistinguishable 
the  Eastern  States,  averaging  the  same  in 


i 


ize. 


he  Pacific 

>a         The  eggs 

Au    fasciata^  of 


Hab. 


582.    Melospiza  cinerea    (Gmel.)    [^32.] 

Aleutian  Song  Sparromr. 

Aleutian  Islands,  east  to  Fort  Kenai,  Alaska. 


This  is  the  Cineaeous  or  Kadiak  Song  Sparrow  of  peculiar   '   -, 
shape  and  color,  and  very  long,  slender  bill.    It  inhabits  the  Aleui    n 


'liSi 


.■Mf-iiuiRuaHm-usip 


NORTH   AMERICAN    BIRDS. 


321 


[t  has  been 
!  south  aud 
d's  favorite 
of  streams, 
'le  ground, 
srally  four, 
lore  bhiish 
of  a  darker 
m  the  eggs 
.87  X  .64. 


California, 

especially 

lerson  in- 

i  beneath 

low  shrub 

•rds  a  nest 

'yster  can, 

How  tree. 

fornia,   is 

he  inside 

or  four 

spotted 

own.    A 

:  follow- 

75X.59, 


Pacific 
*he  eggs 
data,  of 


ar 
leu 


Islands,  where  it  nests  among  the  tall  grass  and  in  the  low  shrubbery. 
Eggs  similar  to  those  of  M./asciaia^  but  averaging  larger,  .89X.65. 

583,    Melospiza  lincolnl    (Aud.)    [334] 

Llaooln's  Sparrow. 

Hab.  Entire  of  North  America,  breeding  from  the  Northern  border  of  the  United  Statei  northward, 
and  South  in  higher  mountain  ranges, 

Lincoln's  Finch  is  found  throughout  North  America  at  large 
breeding  sparingly  in  the  United  States  from  Wisconsin  and  Northern 
New  York  northward,  and  in  the  west  as  far  south  as  the  mountains  of 
Southern  Colorado,  Breeds  not  uncommonly  in  the  valleys  of  Oregon. 
From  its  habit  of  skulking  through  the  underbrush  and  shrubbery  of 
marshes,  more  like  a  mouse  than  a  bird,  it  is  seldom  seen,  and  conse- 
quently it  seems  to  be  little  known.  Nests  on  the  ground  like  the 
Song  Sparrow.  Mr.  Norris  has  two  sets  of  the  eggs  of  Lincoln's 
Sparrow  taken  in  Boulder  county,  Colorado,  on  June  22,  and  July  18, 
respectively.  One  of  the  nests  was  placed  in  a  mossy  bank  among 
small  swamp  bushes,  and  composed  entirely  of  grasses ;  the  other  was 
built  at  the  base  of  an  aspen  tree.  The  eggs  of  one  set,  three  in 
number,  are  light  greenish-white  heavily  marked,  principally  at  the 
larger  end  with  chestnut  and  lavender-gray;  sizes  .81  x. 58,  ,8ix.59, 
.82  X  .60.  The  nest  taken  June  22  is  of  four  eggs ;  these  are  light  pea- 
green  thickly  marked  with  chestnut  and  measure,  .79X.58,  .76X.57, 
.81X.58,  .79X.57. 

584.    Melospiza  georgiana    (Lath.)    [233.] 

Swamp  Sparrow* 

Hab.  Eastern  North  America,  breeding  from  Northern  United  States  northward;  west  to  the  Plaint, 
casually  to  Utah. 

The  Swamp  Sparrow  breeds  from  the  Northern  United  States 
northward.  On  account  of  its  secretive  and  retiring  habits,  the  bird, 
its  nest  and  eggs  are  very  apt  to  escape  notice  unless  perseveringly 
hunted  and  purposely  looked  for.  The  Swamp  Sparrow  dwells  in  the 
deep  recesses  of  marshy  thickets  environed  with  a  canopy  of  tangled 
foliage,  whose  treacherous  quagmire  abounds  in  a  luxuriant  growth  of 
wild  grasses.  In  these  retreats  the  bird  may  exist  in  abundance  and 
still  be  considered  rare  in  certain  localities  where  it  has  been  over- 
looked. Its  neat,  trim  form  and  tasteful  colors  render  it  one  of  the 
handsomest  smaller  Sparrows. 

The  Swamp  Sparrow  builds  its  nest  on  the  ground  in  low,  damp 
places;  in  construction  and  composition  it  is  like  that  of  the  Song 
Sparrow  and  the  eggs  of  the  two  species  are  somewhat  similar. 
Those  of  M.  georgiana^  however,  may  generally  be  distinguished  by 
the  peculiarly  clouded  and  indistinct  appearance  of  the  markings.    The 

22 


322 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


eggs  of  M.fasciata  on  the  contrary,  as  a  rule  have  smaller  markings  and 
much  more  distinct  ones,  while  the  clouded  effect  of  those  of  M. 
georgiana  is  entirely  wanting.  A  series  in  Mr.  Norris'  cabinet  show  great 
variation  in  size  and  coloring,  but  in  only  one  set  is  the  clouding  of 
the  markings  wanting.  A  set  of  four  containing  the  largest  eggs  give 
the  following  measurements:  .80X.56,  .81  x  .56  .Sox. 57,  .Sox. 57; 
another  set  (five  eggs)  measure  respectively :  .72  x  .5S,  .74  x  .59,  .71  x.  57, 
.73X.58,  .74X.56. 

585.    Passerella  iliaca    (Merr.)    [235.] 

Fox  Sparronv. 

Hab.  Northern  North  America,  '  reeding  north  of  the  United  States;  in  winter  south  over  the 
whole  of  the  Eastern  United  States  to  the  Gulf  coast. 

The  Fox-coldred  Sparrow  is  one  of  the  largest  and  finest  of  its 
tribe.  Breeds  from  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence  and  Labrador  north 
into  Alaska.  It  is  met  with  in  Eastern  United  States  during  the 
spring,  fall  and  iu  winter. 

The  Fox  Sparrow  in  its  summer  home  is  said  to  be  a  charming 
songster,  possessing  a  clear  thrush-like  song  of  exquisite  melody, 
fairly  rivaling  the  warblings  of  the  ablest  feathered  performers  in  the 
sweetness  and  purity  of  tone  and  beauty  of  expression.  Audobon  met 
with  it  breeding  in  Labrador,  and  found  its  eggs  from  the  middle  of 
June  to  the  5th  of  July.  It  also  breeds  in  Newfoundland.  Nests  of 
this  species  were,  according  to  the  reports  of  Mr.  MacFarlane  and  Mr. 
Kennicott,  found  in  trees  and  on  the  ground  in  the  Arctic  regions. 
Mr.  W.  H.  Dall  obtained  the  eggs  on  the  Yukon  river  in  Alaska, 
and  the  birds  were  very  abundant  at  the  mouth  of  this  river  in  July 
and  also  at  St.  Michael's.  Mr.  Maynard  found  this  species  nesting 
on  the  Magdalen  Islands.  According  to  these  observers  the  nests 
are,  for  the  most  part,  placed  on  the  ground,  usually  concealed  by  the 
drooping  branches  of  evergreens.  They  are  composed  of  grass  and 
moss,  lined  with  fine  grass  and  feathers.  The  eggs  are  four  or  five, 
pale  bluish-green,  speckled,  spotted  and  blotched  with  reddish-brown, 
or  uniform  chocolate-brown  ;  size  .93  x  .65. 

585a.    Passerella  iliaca  nnalaschcensis    (Gmel.)    [235a.] 

Towiiaend's  Sparrow. 

Hab.     Pacific  coast  region,  from  Kadiak  south  in  winter  to  Southern  California, 

This  bird  breeds  north  of  the  United  States  —  from  British  Col- 
umbia north  to  Kadiak  and  coast  Alaska,  west  to  Unalaschka  Islands. 
It  has  been  found  breeding  on  Vancouver  Island,  British  Columbia,  in 
May  and  June,  and  at  St.  Michaels,  Alaska.  In  its  habits  it  is  said  to 
be  shy  and  retiring,  frequenting  the  t;mgled  thickets  and  brush-piles. 
In  these  its  nest  is  built,  commonly  a  few  inches  above  the  ground. 


■BaaoMBB 


NORTH  AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


323 


irkings  and 
lose  of  M. 
:  show  great 
clouding  of 
't  eggs  give 
',  .80X.57; 
)9.  •71X.57, 


«outh  over  the 

nest  of  its 
ador  north 
luring  the 

charming 

e   melody, 

lers  in  the 

iobon  met 

middle  of 

Nests  of 

e  and  Mr. 

:  regions. 

1  Alaska, 

r  in  July 

s  nesting 

he  nests 

d  by  the 

rass  and 

r  or  five, 

1 -brown, 


ish  Col- 
Islands, 
nbia,  in 

said  to 
h-piles. 

round. 


The  nest  is  described  as  being  made  of  grasses,  moss,  and  vegetable 
fibres  compactly  woven  together.  The  eggs,  three  to  five  in  number, 
are  described  as  of  a  greenish  or  dull  brownish-white,  spotted  and 
blotched  with  reddisb-biown ;  size  .90X  .66. 

585^.    Passerella  iliaca  megarhyncha    (Baird)    [  235^.] 


Hab. 


Thlok'bllled  Sparrow. 

Mountain  ranges  of  California  and  Oregon,  including  eastern  slope  of  the  Sierra  Nevada. 


This  species  is  confined  to  the  restricted  area  of  the  mountainous 
regions  of  California  and  Oregon.  Its  habits  are  much  the  same  as 
those  of  P.  unalaschcensis^  inhabiting  the  shrubbery  of  the  mountain 
ravines,  where  it  breeds.  It  is  said  to  be  an  exquisite  songster,  its 
song  resembling  in  richness  and  volume  that  of  the  Louisiana  Water- 
Thrush.  The  Thick-billed  Sparrow  1'  as  been  found  breeding  in  several 
places  in  California  and  Southeastern  Oregon.  Mr.  L.  Belding  found 
it  nesting  in  Calaveras  county,  California,  in  June.  The  nest  is  said 
to  be  built  just  above  the  ground,  and  sometimes  at  a  height  of  five 
feet,  and  always  in  bushes  amongst  thickets.  The  eggs  are  like  those 
of  P.  unalaschcensis  or  those  oi schistacea^  and  average  .86X.64. 

585^.    Passerella  Iliaca  schistacea    (Baird)    [235^.] ; 

Slate-oolored  Sparrow. 

Hab.  Rocky  Mountain  region,  'est  across  the  Great  Basin  into  California  and  Oregon;  east  ia 
winter  to  tht  "^Treat  Plains  (Kansas.) 

The  Slate-colored  Sparrow  was  met  with  by  Prof.  Ridgway  in  Par- 
ley's Park  among  the  Wahsatch  Mountains,  nesting  plentifully  in  the 
willows  and  other  shrubbery  along  the  streams  in  the  month  of  June. 
It  was  always  found  in  company  with  the  Mountain  Song  Sparrow, 
M.  f.  montana^  which,  in  song,  it  greatly  resembles.  The  nests  of  the 
two  species  were  also  much  alike  in  manner  of  construction  and  situa- 
tion and  the  eggs  so  similar  that  it  required  careful  observation  to 
identify  a  nest  when  one  was  found. 

A  set  containing  three  eggs  of  this  species  is  in  Mr.  Norris' 
cabinet  which  was  collected  by  Captain  Charles  E.  Bendire,  at  Camp 
Harney,  Oregon,  on  June  21, 1875.  The  nest  was  in  a  rose  thicket, 
two  and  a  half  feet  from  the  ground,  close  to  Rattlesnake  Creek.  The 
eggs  are  of  a  pale  bluish-green,  heavily  spotted  with  burnt  umber, 
and  measure  .83  x  .62,  .80  x  .62,  .87  x  .63  respectively. 

586.    Embernagra  rufivirgata    Lawr.    [236.] 

Texas  Sparrow^. 

Hab.    Valley  of  the  Lower  Rio  Grande  in  Texas  and  southward. 

Dr.  Merrill  and  Mr.  Sennett  both  note  this  species  as  a  common 
resident  on  the  Lower  Rio  Grande,  in  Texas,  where  it  frequents  the 
thickets,  brush-fences  and  low  shrubbery.     Dr.  Merrill  says :    "  I  have 


324 


NKSTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


r 


found  the  nests  with  eggs  at  intervals  from  May  9  to  September  7. 
These  are  placed  in  low  bushes,  rarely  more  than  three  feet  from  the 
ground  ;  the  nests  are  rather  large,  composed  of  twigs  and  straws,  and 
lined  with  finer  straws  and  hairs  ;  they  are  practically  domed,  the  nests 
being  placed  rather  obliquely,  and  the  part  above  the  entrance  being 
built  out.  The  eggs  are  from  two  to  four  in  number ;  thirty-two  average 
.88  X  .65,  the  extreme  being  .97  x  .67  and  .81  x  .61 ;  they  are  pure  white. 
Two,  and  probably  three  broods  are  raised  in  a  season." 

Mr.  Sennett  obtained  on  April  loth  young  birds  and  a  nest  con- 
taining two  eggs  about  to  hatch. 

587.    Pipilo  erythrophthalmus    (Linn.)    [237.] 

Towliee. 

Hab.    Eastern  United  States,  west  to  Eastern  Dakota,  Kansas,  Texas  and  Gulf  coast. 

The  Red-eyed  Towhee,  Chewink,  Ground  Robin,  or  Marsh  Robin, 
as  it  is  variously  called,  has  an  extended  distribution  throughout  East- 
ern United  States,  from  Florida  and  Eastern  Texas  on  the  south  to 
the  Selkirk  Settlements  on  the  northwest,  and  as  far  west  as  the  edge 
of  the  Great  Plains,  where  it  is  replaced  by  other  closely  allied  races. 
Breeds  almost  wherever  found.  It  is  a  spirited  bird  and  spends  a  great 
deal  of  its  time  on  the  ground,  hopping  about  among  the  thick  under- 
brush, frequently  uttering  its  peculiar  notes,  tohee^  tohee,  chewink^ 
chewtnky  in  quick  succession.  The  shady  retreats  of  woodlands  are 
also  favorite  resorts  of  this  species. 

The  nest  is  generally  placed  on  the  ground,  at  the  foot  of  some 
bush,  or  under  a  fallen  log.  It  is  often  built  on  the  ground  in  the 
midst  of  deep,  damp  woods,  well  hidden  in  the  rank  grass.  Occasion- 
ally, however,  this  Bunting  places  its  nest  in  a  bush  or  sapling.  Mr. 
Poling  states  that  he  has  taken  the  nest  from  trees  as  high  up  from  the 
ground  as  seven  and  a  half  feet.  It  is  a  rude  structure  of  grapevine 
bark,  twigs,  weed-stalks,  leaves  and  grasses,  lined  with  finer  grasses 
and  rootlets. 

The  eggs  of  the  Towhee  are  three  or  four,  rarely  five  in  number. 
Their  ground-color  is  white,  pinkish,  or  of  a  faint  bluish-white.  There 
is  a  wide  variation  in  the  shapes  and  sizes  of  the  eggs,  likewise  in  the 
style  and  distribution  of  their  markings.  In  sha^e  they  will  vary  all 
the  way  from  oblong  oval  to  globular;  rounded-oval  however,  being  the 
characteristic  ♦^vpe.  They  are  thickly  sprinkled  or  speckled  with  light 
reddish-brown ,  in  some  the  markings  are  so  bold  and  sparsely  scat- 
tered that  the  eggs  resemble  very  closely  those  of  the  Cowbird,  Mead- 
ow-lark or  Cardinal  Rt  d-bird.  The  markings  in  the  eggs  of  the  Tow- 
hee, as  a  general  rule,  have  a  constant  pinkish  cast  rarely  found  in  the 


NORTH  AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


325 


ptember  7. 
t  from  the 
straws,  and 
I,  the  nests 
ince  being 
vo  average 
>ure  white. 

nest  con- 


sh  Robin, 
out  East- 
south  to 
the  edge 
ed  races, 
is  a  great 
;k  under- 
chewink^ 
ands  are 

of  some 
d  in  the 
>ccasion- 
ig.  Mr. 
"rom  the 
apevine 
grasses 

lumber. 
There 
e  in  the 
vary  all 
ing  the 
th  light 
ly  scat- 
Mead- 
e  Tow- 
in  the 


eggs  of  the  other  species.  We  have  already  stated  a  means  of  dis- 
tinguishing the  eggs  of  this  species  from  those  of  the  Cowbird — page  272. 
Ten  eggs  measure  .89  x  .66,  .89  x  .68,  .89  x  .68,  .90  x  .71,  .88  x  .75,  .90  x 
.73,  .94  X  .75,  .96  X  .74,  .93  X  .72,  .96  X  .73 ;  average  .95  x  .72. 

587a.    Plpilo  erythrophthalmus  alleni    Couks    [237a.] 

Virhite-eyed  Towhee. 

Hab.    Florida,  Eaitern  Georgia  and  Southern  South  Carolina. 

The  Florida  or  White- eyed  Towhee  has  been  found  breeding  as 
far  north  as  Beaufort  county,  South  Carolina,  by  Mr.  Walter  Hoxie  in 
the  months  of  May  and  June.  Mr.  G.  Noble,  of  Savannah,  Georgia, 
informs  me  that  he  found  the  White-eye  in  that  region  building  chief- 
ly in  young  pines  from  three  to  ten  feet  above  the  ground,  and  that  the 
nest  resembles  that  of  the  Yellow-breasted  Chat.  Mr.  Hoxie  found  it 
nesting  in  pine  trees  ranging  in  height  from  four  to  twenty  feet  above 
the  ground.  The  nests  were  made  of  coarse  weeds,  pine  needles  and 
grass,  lined  with  finer  grasses.  The  complement  of  eggs  varies  from 
two  to  four,  and  considerable  variation  exists  in  their  size  and  mark- 
ings. Mr.  Norris  has  several  sets  of  eggs  taken  near  Frogmore, 
South  Carolina.  Their  ground  color  is  white,  thickly  speckled  with 
pinkish-vinaceous  and  pearl-gray.  A  set  of  three  has  one  egg  which 
is  covered  all  over  with  faint  yellow  specks,  giving  to  the  specimen  a 
light  yellow-brown  appearance;  the  other  two  are  bluish-white  tin- 
marked-^  sizes,  .90X.69,  .85X.70,  .82X.68.  Another  set  of  two  are  of 
the  same  light  bluish-white  tint,  unmarked,  and  offers  the  following 
sizes:  .85X.67,  .87X.62.  The  sizes  of  a  set  of  three  are,  i.oox.74, 
.95X.72,  .87X.70. 

588.    Pipilo  maculatus  arcticus     (Swains.)    [238.] 

Arctic  ToTvhne. 

Hab.  Plains  of  the  Platte,  Upper  Missouri,  Yellowstone  and  the  Saskatchewan  Rivers;  weit  to  the 
base  of  the  Rocky  Mountains;  south  in  winter  to  Kansas,  Colorado  and  Texas. 

•  The  Northern  or  Arctic  Towhee  Bunting  has  been  found  in  the 
valley  of  the  Saskatchewan,  where  it  breeds,  and  on  the  high  central 
plains  of  the  Upper  Missouri  and  the  Yellowstone  and  Platte  Rivers. 
An  abundant  species  in  the  valley  of  the  Great  Slave  Lake.  Dr.  Mer- 
rill found  it  in  all  parts  of  Montana  wherever  a  stream  with  bordering 
underbrush  afforded  shelter.  There  is  great  diversity  in  the  time  of 
laying,  or  rather  in  the  contents  of  nests  found  on  about  the  same  dates 
from  the  middle  of  May  until  late  in  July,  which  was  attributed  more 
to  the  great  number  of  nests  that  must  be  destroyed  by  snakes,  birds 
and  small  mammals,  and  to  the  attempt  of  the  parents  to  raise  another 
brood,  than  to  any  other  cause.  The  nests  are  placed  on  the  ground 
under  some  bush,  favorite  places  being  growths  of  cherry  bushes  often 


li*    I 


I 


I 

I 

I 
! 


I 


326 


NESTS  AND  EGGS   OP 


seen  near  streams  ih  that  region ;  lower  on  the  plains  any  growth  of 
shrubbery  is  selected.  The  rim  of  the  nest  is  flush  with  the  level  of 
the  ground,  the  birds  scratching  the  hollow  large  enough  to  contain  the 
nest,  which  is  strongly  built  of  bark  strips,  blades  of  dry  grass,  and 
usually  lined  with  yellow  straw.  The  eggs  are  four  or  five,  averaging 
.94  X  ,69.  Their  ground  color  is  white,  slightly  tinged  with  greenish- 
and  covered  with  dots  and  small  spots  of  reddish-brown  and  lavender 
most  numerous  at  the  large  end.  Some  specimens  are  so  densely  cov- 
ered with  the  markings  that  the  ground  color  is  hardly  distinguishable. 

588a.    Plpilo  maculatus  megalonyx    (Baird.)    [238a.] 

Spurred  Towhee. 

Hab.     Rocky  Mountain  region  westward  to  Southern  California,  north  to  Eastern  Washington  Terri- 
Hory,  south  into  Northern  Mexico  and  Lower  California. 

The  Spurred  Towhee  Bunting  is  the  prevailing  form  of  the  Rocky 
Mountain  region  —  New  Mexico,  Arizona,  etc.  Its  habits,  nesting  and 
eggs  are  substantially  the  same  as  those  of  P.  erythrophthalmus,  Mr. 
S.  C.  Evans  found  several  nests  of  this  bird  near  Riverside,  California, 
all  of  which  were  placed  in  low  bushes.  Mr.  Emerson  says  the  bird 
is  quite  common  in  the  vicinity  of  Haywards,  California,  where  he  has 
takeu  many  of  its  nests.  The  nearest  he  has  ever  found  the  nest  to 
the  ground  was  about  ten  inches.  In  other  localities,  however,  it  is 
known  to  nest  on  the  ground  like  the  Eastern  Towhee. 

The  sizes  of  a  set  of  four  eggs  in  Mr.  Norris'  collection  taken  near 
Haywards,  California,  are  .89  x  .70,  .90  x  .70,  .89  x  .70,  .88  x  .71.  They 
have  a  light  pinkish-white  ground,  thickly  sprinkled  and  speck- 
led with  viuaceous-cinnamon. 

9 

588<J.    Pipilo  maculatus  oregonus    (Bell.)    [2381^.] 

Oregon  Towhee. 

Hab.     Pacific  coast  from  British  Columbia  south  to  Santa  Cruz,  California.  * 

The  Oregon  Ground  Robin  is  a  resident  in  the  western  portion  of 
the  State  of  Oregon  and  Washington  Territory  during  the  sum- 
mer, and  in  the  more  northern  portions  of  California.  The  nest  is 
placed  on  the  ground  and  sometimes  in  bushes,  on  stumps,  etc.,  like 
the  Eastern  Tov  je's.  It  is  composed  of  grasses  and  leaves,  with  a 
lining  of  fine  gra^s.  Mr.  Anthony  mentions  finding  an  egg  of  this 
species  in  the  nest  of  the  Rusty  Song  Sparrow.  In  color  and  general 
appearance  the  eggs  resemble  those  of  P.  erythrophthalmus.  A  set  of 
four  in  Mr.  Norris'  collection,  taken  May  12,  are  pinkish -white, 
thickly  speckled  with  vinaceous  and  vinaceous-cinnamon  ;  their  sizes : 
.94X.70,  .92X.69,  .91X.71,  .95X.71. 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


327 


growth  of 

he  level  of 

contain  the 

grass,  and 

averaging 

greenish- 

d  lavender 

msely  cov- 

guishable. 


ihington  Terri- 

the  Rocky 
!sting  and 
nus.  Mr. 
California, 
5  the  bird 
:re  he  has 
e  nest  to 
•ver,  it  is 

ken  near 
They 
speck- 


e 


)rtion  of 
sum- 
nest  is 
tc,  like 
with  a 
of  this 
general 
^  set  of 
-white, 
sizes ; 


590.    Pipilo  Ciilornrus    (Towns.)    [239.] 

Oreen-talled  Towhee. 

Hab.  Whole  of  Middle  Province,  including  the  Rocky  Mountains  and  eastern  slope  of  the  Sierra 
Nevada  —  Eastern  Oregon,  Idaho,  Montana,  etc.,  south  into  Mexico. 

Called  the  Chestnut-crowned  Towhee,  Green-tailed  Bunting 
and  Blanding's  Finch.  It  is  generally  distributed  in  all  bushy  places 
throughout  the  fertile  mountain  portions  of  the  interior.  It  is  a  char- 
acteristic bird  of  the  eastern  slope  of  the  Sierra  Nevada,  and  a 
summer  resident  arriving  at  Virginia  City  about  the  middle  or  latter 
part  of  April.  Habits,  nesting,  eggs  and  song  generic.  The  late  Mr. 
Snowdon  Howland  informed  me  that  he  collected  a  set  of  four  eggs  of 
this  species  in  Wyoming,  in  1871.  The  nest  was  placed  on  the  ground 
in  the  usual  manner  of  that  of  the  Eastern  Towhee,  and  was  composed 
of  dry  grasses  and  shreds  of  bark.  It  was  well  concealed  by  a  dense 
growth  of  low  bushes.  « 

The  eggs  are  white  with  a  bluish  tint,  profusely  dotted  with 
pinkish-drab,  sometimes  so  thickly  distributed  as  to  give  the  t^% 
the  appearance  of  a  uniform  color,  or  as  an  unspotted  pinkish- 
drab,  and  again  more  sparsely  diffused ;  nearly  oval  in  shape ;  four 
eggs  is  the  usual  complement ;  the  sizes  of  a  set  of  five  eggs  in  Mr. 
Norris'  cabinet,  taken  May  28,  near  Fort  Klamath,  Oregon,  are  .85  x  .64, 
.90  X  .68,  .85  X  .65,  .90  X  .68,  .84  X  .64 ;  their  average  size  is  .85  x.65. 

591.    Pipilo  fuseus  mesoleucus    (Baird)    [240.] 

Canon  Towhee> 

Hab,     New  Mexico  and  Arizona,  south  into  Mexico. 

The  Canon  Bunting  or  Brown  Towhee  is  abundantly  distributed 
throughout  the  warmer  portions  of  New  Mexico  and  Arizona,  from  the 
valley  of  the  Rio  Grande  to  that  of  the  Colorado.  It  prefers  the  dense 
bushes  of  the  valleys,  and  like  the  Eastern  Red-eye,  passes  the  greater 
part  of  its  time  on  the  ground,  in  thickets,  generally  in  company  with 
the  Arctic  Towhee.  The  nest  is  usually  built  in  shrubs  and  low  mes- 
quite  trees. 

A  set  of  three  eggs  of  this  species  in  Mr.  Norris'  cabinet  was 
collected  July  14,  1882,  by  Captain  Charles  E.  Bendire,  near  Rilletto 
Creek,  Arizona.  The  nest  was  placed  in  a  mesquite  bush  about  four 
feet  from  the  ground.  The  eggs  are  white,  spotted,  principally  at  the 
larger  ends,  with  black  and  vandyke  brown.  There  are  also  a  few 
spots  of  lavender-gray,  and  quite  a  number  of  the  curious  pen  lines 
common  to  the  eggs  of  the  oriole.  They  measure  .90X.71,  .89X.66, 
.94X.71. 


328 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


591a.    Pipilo  fnscns  albignla    (Baird)    [240a.] 

„  .  „  .  .     .  Saint  liiioas  Towkee. 

Hab.    Lower  California. 

The  White-throated  Brown  Towhee  is  a  common  species  at  Cape 
St.  Lucas  where  it  breeds  abundantly,  placing  the  nest  usually  in 
thickets,  a  few  feet  from  the  ground  and  often  on  the  ground,  in  a 
slight  hollow.  It  is  composed  of  wiry  grasses,  a  few  leaves,  and  fine, 
slender  roots. 

The  eggs  are  usually  four  in  number,  pale  greenish-white  or  very 
pale  greenish-blue,  with  markings,  dots,  dashes  and  lines  about  the 
larger  end,  of  a  deep  dark  shade  of  purplish-brown,  so  dark  as  some- 
times to  be  undistinguishable  from  black ;  average  size  .91  x  .65. 

591*.    Pipilo  fuscus  crissalis    (Vio.)    [240*.] 

Oalifornlam  Towhee. 

Hab.     California. 

t  An  abundant  bird  in  California  and  known  as  the  California 
Brown  Towhee  Crissal  Towhee  Bunting  and  Canon  Finch.  Mr.  A. 
M.  Shields  states  that  in  Southern  California  this  species  is  a  constant 
companion  of  the  Californian  Thrasher,  frequenting  the  dense  beds  of 
chapparal  and  the  scrub  bushes  which  line  the  mountain  canons.  The 
bird  nests  early  in  April,  and  fresh  eggs  may  be  found  until  the  middle 
of  May.  The  nest  complement  is  generally  four,  often  five,  sometimes 
only  three.  The  situation  of  the  nest  according  to  Mr.  Shields  is 
quite  variable,  sometimes  it  is  placed  on  the  ground,  occasionally  in 
crevices  of  vine-covered  rocks,  in  hollow  trunks  of  trees,  etc.,  but  the 
favorite  nesting  place  is  a  thick,  scrubby  bush  from  three  to  five  feet 
above  the  ground.  Prof.  Evermann  found  young  birds  as  early  as 
April  3  in  Ventura  county.  The  nest  in  that  region  is  usually  built 
in  a  sage,  greasewood,  or  cactus,  one  to  five  feet  from  the  ground. 
Occasionally,  however,  it  is  placed  in  live  oaks,  ten  to  fifteen  feet  up, 
and  composed  of  twigs,  bark  and  grass,  lined  with  rootlets. 

A  large  series  of  the  eggs  of  this  species  is  before  me.  In  their 
general  appearance  they  resemble  the  eggs  of  the  Red-winged  Black- 
bird, being  of  a  blue,  spotted  ar:d  blotched  with  varying  shades  of  dark 
and  light  purple,  in  some  the  color  is  not  distinguishable  from  black, 
except  in  a  strong  light.  The  markings  are  chiefly  or  wholly  at  the 
larger  ends  and  sometimes  in  the  shape  of  scrawls  and  daubs.  Ten 
eggs  measure  .87X.72,  .90X.73,  .92 x  .71,  .92  x  .73,  .94X.74,  .95X.70, 

•95X.73.  •97x73,  •99x.7i»  •99X.73- 

592.    Pipilo  aberti    Baird    [241.] 

Abert's  To'whee. 

Hab.    Arizona  and  New  Mexico  north  into  Southern  Utah  and  Colorado. 

This  very  large  and  long-tailed  species,  known  as  the  Gray  Tow- 


NORTH  AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


329 


ies  at  Cape 
usually  in 
ound,  in  a 
,  and  fine, 

ite  or  very 
about  the 
:  as  some- 
.65. 


California 

.    Mr.  A. 

constant 

e  beds  of 

>ns.    The 

le  middle 

)metimes 

hields  is 

anally  in 

but  the 

five  feet 

early  as 

lly  built 

ground. 

feet  up, 

In  their 
Black- 

of  dark 

black, 

at  the 

Ten 

5  X  .70, 


Tow- 


hee  is  abundant  in  all  suitable  localities  of  Arizona  and  New  Mexico. 
One  of  the  most  abundant  birds  throughout  the  valleys  of  the  Gila  and 
Colorado  Rivers.  Its  favorite  resorts  are  the  dense  chapparal  thickets 
along  streams.  Said  to  be  a  very  shy  species  keeping  close  within 
its  retreats  upon  the  approach  of  an  intruder.  The  nest  is  rather 
loose  and  bulky,  usually  built  in  bushes  near  the  ground  and  again  in 
trees.  Mr.  Stephens  found  one  in  a  bunch  of  mistletoe  at  a  height  of 
at  least  thirty  feet.  The  nest  is  made  of  strips  of  bark,  twigs  and 
leaves,  with  finer  lining  of  the  same  materials.  The  eggs  are  three  or 
four  in  number  and  look  exactly  like  those  of  the  California  Towhee 
—  pale  greenish-blue  or  bluish- white,  speckled,  spotted  and  scratched 
about  the  larger  end,  sometimes  sparsely  over  the  whole  surface  with 
dark  brown.  Average  size  i.oox  .74.  A  set  of  three  eggs  in  my  cabi- 
net taken  by  Dr.  Chas.  Carter,  U.  S.  A.,  in  Pinal  county,  Arizona,  on 
April  21,  1885,  exhibits  the  following  sizes:  i.oix.75,  1.02  x. 75,  i.oox 

•74- 

593.    Gardinalis cardinalis    (Linn.)    [342.] 

Cardinal. 

Hab.  Eastern  United  States;  west  to  Kansas,  Nebraska;  south  to  Texas  and  Florida;  north  to  the 
Middle  States;  rare  in  N«w  York,  casual  in  Connecticut,  accidental  in  Massachusetts;  represented  by  varie- 
ties in  the  Southwes'.. 

Commonly  called  Redbird  or  Cardinal  Grosbeak,  and  by  some 
I  Virginia   Nightingale    or  Virginia    Cardinal.      It    is    not    migratory 

but  resident  nearly  wherever  found,  and  is  distributed  throughout  the 
eastern  part  of  United  States  from  the  latitude  of  Ohio  southward. 
The  nest  of  this  species  is  placed  in  a  variety  of  situations,  usually 
from  three  to  ten  feet  above  the  ground  in  a  dense  thicket,  which  is  its 
favorite  nesting  site.  I  have  found  the  nest  placed  on  the  top  rail  of 
a  fence  in  the  midst  of  a  clump  of  brambles.  The  late  Dr.  Wheaton 
mentions  finding  it  '*  on  the  top  of  vine-covered  .stumps,  in  wild-goose- 
berry bushes  overhanging  water,  and  in  brush-heaps,"  and  says:  "I 
have  found  the  nest  ready  for  the  reception  of  eggs  as  early  as  April 
17."  Mr.  Davis  states  that  in  Cook  county,  Texas,  the  Redbird  begins 
nesting  before  the  trees  put  forth  their  leaves.  The  nest  is  a  loose,  frail 
structure,  made  of  slender  twigs,  strips  of  grape-vine  bark,  stems,  grass, 
and  a  few  leaves,  lined  with  fine  rootlets  and  grasses,  sometimes  with 
horse  hair. 

There  is  a  great  diversity  in  the  coloration  and  general  appearance 
in  a  large  series  of  the  eggs  of  this  species.  The  ground-color  in  the 
various  specimens  runs  from  white  through  bluish  or  greenish-white 
to  that  of  a  brownish  tint.  The  markings  are  reddish -brown,  laven- 
der and  gray  of  various  shades  and  are  pretty  generally  scattered  over 
the  entire  surface ;  in  other  specimens  they  tend  to  cluster  more  thick- 


330 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


In  • 


ly  about  or  on  the  larger  ends ;  some  are  so  thickly  marked  as  to 
almost  conceal  the  ground  color.  The  specimens  generally  consid- 
ered handsomest  are  those  with  a  greenish-white  ground  heavily  and 
distinctly  blotched  v/ith  reddish-brown.  Some  of  the  smaller  eggs 
and  more  finely  dotted  ones  resemble  very  closely  those  of  the  Cow- 
bird.  Mr.  Ragsdale  has  an  egg  of  this  species  with  a  large  chocolate 
blotch  covering  one-fourth  of  the  shell.  The  eggs  are  three  or  four  in 
number.*  Eight  eggs  (two  nests  of  four  each)  measure  respectively: 
.98X.71,  .93X.73,  1.02X.74,  1.06X.74,  .98X. 77,  1.00X.75,  1.01X.76,  1.03 
X.78;  average  i.oox.73. 

593a.    Cardinalis  cardinalis  superbus    Ridgw.    [242a, /ar/.] 

Aricona  Cardinal. 

Hab.     Southern  Arizona  and  Western  Mexico. 

A  bird  very  similar  to  C.  cardinalis  but  larger,  and  the  female 
more  richly  colored.  Its  general  habits,  nesting  and  eggs  are  not  in 
anywise  distinguishable  from  those  of  the  Redbird  of  the  Eastern 
States. 

593<J.    Cardinalis  cardinalis  igneus    (Baird)    [242a,f>afi.] 

Saint  Iinoai  Cardinal. 

Hab.     Lower  California. 

A  smaller  bird  than  superbus  and  called  Fiery-red  Cardinal  as  its 
specific  name  implies,  but  is  not  any  more  so  than  cardinalis^  and  its 
habits,  nests  and  eggs  are  the  same. 

594.    Pyrrhuloxia  sinnata    Bonap.    [243.] 

Texan  Cardinal. 

Hab.  Northern  Mexico  and  Southern  border  of  the  United  States  —  Southern  Texas  to  Southern 
Arizona  and  Lower  California. 

This  species  inhabits  the  southern  border  ot  the  United  States. 
Dr.  Merrill  found  it  abundant  at  times  at  Fort  Brown,  Texas,  particu- 
larly in  the  Spring.  Mr.  Sennett  records  it  as  tolerably  common  at 
lyomita  and  a  probable  resident  in  that  region  along  with  the  Virginia 
Cardinal,  and  breeds  fully  as  early.  There  is,  he  states,  little  difference 
between  the  habits  of  the  two  Cardinals,  but  the  Texan  is  more  con- 
fined to  open  and  exposed  situations  near  settlements,  and  is  always 
shy  and  suspicious,  so  that  he  rarely  came  upon  it  unawares.  The  nest 
is  built  in  thickets,  sometimes  in  isolated  bushes,  from  three  to  eight 
feet  above  the  ground,  and  is  said  to  be  very  much  smaller  than  that 
of  C.  cardinalis.  The  materials  are  bark  strips,  twigs  and  dry  grasses. 
The  eggp  are  usually  four  in  number  and  resemble  those  of  C.  cardi- 
nalis except  in  their  smaller  size,  averaging  .92  x  .73.^  Mr.  G.  B.  Benners 
gives  the  sizes  of  a  set  of  four  eggs  which  he  obtained  on  the  Rio 
Grande,  April  21,  as  follows :  .87  x  .69,  .87  x  .69,  .89  x  .69,  .85  x  .67. 

''■There  are  a  number  of  sets  of  five  eggs  of  the  Cardinal  on  record  but  1  have  never  seen  or  taken  that 
number  from  s  single  nest  myself.    Sets  of  three  are  as  common  as  those  of  four. 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


331 


rked  as  to 
Ily  consid- 
eavily  and 
laller  eggs 
the  Cow- 
chocolate 
or  four  in 
pectively : 
X  .76,  1.03 

A] 

le  female 
ire  not  in 
i  Eastern 


nal  as  its 
>,  and  its 


to  Southern 

1  States, 
particu- 
imon  at 
Virginia 
fFerence 
ore  con- 
always 
'he  nest 
:o  eight 
an  that 
grasses. 
cardi- 
enners 
le  Rio 

7- 

taken  that 


595.    Habia  Indovlciana    (Linn.)    [244.] 

Roae-breaated  Oroabeak. 

Hab.  Eaitern  United  Statei,  north  to  Southern  Canada;  south  in  winter  through  Cuba,  Central  and 
into  Northern  South  America. 

The  rose-bud  of  our  North  American  Oscines  —  everywhere 
noted  for  its  beauty  and  musical  ability.  Breeds  from  the  Northern 
States  northward,  but  it  is  nowhere  an  abundant  bird.  Trees  and 
shrubbery  along  the  banks  of  streams  or  the  borders  of  dense  woods 
are  its  favorite  resorts.  A  bird  with  a  plump,  round  form,  the  male 
with  head  and  neck  black,  bill  whitish,  wings  and  tail  white  and  black, 
the  breast  and  under  wing-coverts  rosy  or  carmine  red.  The  parts 
which  in  the  male  are  black,  are  streaked  with  blackish  and  olive-brown 
in  the  female,  and  the  under  wing-coverts  saffron-yellow,  and  though 
not  so  striking  in  contrast,  makes  a  bird  of  handsome  appearance. 
The  nest  is  placed  in  the  thick  foliage  of  trees  at  the  edge  of  woods 
or  on  the  banks  of  streams.  It  is  a  flat,  shallow  structure,  composed 
of  small  twigs,  vegetable  fibres  and  grass.     Breeds  in  May  and  June. 

The  eggs  are  three  to  five  in  number,  the  latter  being  uncommon. 
They  are  greenish-blue  or  bluish-green,  more  or  less  spotted  over  the 
entire  surface  with  blotches  of  reddish-brown ;  the  eggs  resemble  very 
closely  those  of  the  Summer  Redbird  or  Scarlet  Tanager ;  sizes  range 
from  .95  to  1.08  in  length  by  .70  to  .76  in  breadth. 

596.    Habia  melanocephala    (Swains.)    [245.] 

Blaok-headed  Oroabeak. 

Hab.    Western  United  States,  east  to  the  Great  Plains,  south  into  Mexico 

This  bird  occurs  from  the  high  Central  Plains  to  the  Pacific,  and 
from  the  northern  portions  of  Washington  Territory  to  the  table  lands  of 
Mexico.  Breeds  throughout  its  United  States  range.  Col.  Goss  gives  it 
as  a  quite  common  summer  resident  in  Middle  and  Western  Kansas; 
begins  laying  the  last  of  May.  Quite  common  in  California ;  begins 
nesting  about  the  first  of  April  —  nesting  abundantly  in  the  willow  and 
water-mootic  copse  near  Santa  Clara  River  and  among  the  live-oaks 
along  the  small  streams  and  creeks.  The  nests  are  placed  from  five  to 
twenty  feet  from  the  ground,  and  composed  of  a  few  slender  twigs, 
weeds,  grasses  and  rootlets. 

Two  to  four  eggs  are  laid.  Sets  of  this  bird's  eggs  are  in  my 
cabinet  collected  at  San  Gorgonia  Pass,  California,  by  Mr.  Herron,  in 
May  and  June.  These  are  of  two  and  three  eggs  each.  They  v/ere 
taken  from  nests  in  oak  bushes  five  to  ten  feet  from  the  ground.  They 
are  bluish-green  sprinkled  and  blotched  with  reddish  and  rusty-brown; 
some  heavily  spotted  while  others  are  sparingly  marked,  the  spots  in 
all  cases  become  more  numerous  towards  the  lajger  ends.     Eight  eggs 


ill 


832 


NKSTS  AND  BGGS  OF 


measure  .84  x  .65,  .86  x  .67,  .87  x  .65,  .92  x  .69,  .94  x  .68,  .90  x  .67,  1.07  x 
.72,  1.07  X. 73. 

597.    Guiraca  cfflrnlea    (Linn.)    [246.'1 

Bine  Oroabaak. 

Hab.  Southern  half  of  the  United  State*  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific;  north  regularly,  but  very 
locally,  to  Pennsylvania,  Kentucky,  etc.,  rarely  north  to  Maiaachusetti  and  even  Maine;  south  in  winter 
throughout  Mexico,  Central  America,  Cuba,  Yucatan,  etc.* 

The  Blue  Grosbeak  is  nowhere  an  abundant  bird  but  breeds 
throughout  its  United  States  range,  occasionally  as  far  north  as  South- 
ern Pennsylvania.  In  the  west  it  is  found  in  New  Mexico,  Arizona, 
Colorado  and  California.  Col.  Goss  gives  it  as  a  summer  resident  of 
Kansas,  being  quite  cominon  in  the  Middle  and  Western  portion ;  be- 
gins laying  the  last  of  May.  A  common  species  in  the  South  Atlantic 
and  Gulf  States.  Mr.  C.  S.  Brimley  says  that  in  the  vicinity  of  Ral- 
eigh, North  Carolina,  it  begins  nesting  about  the  first  part  of  June. 
Mr.  G.  Noble,  of  Savannah,  Georgia,  has  sent  me  a  typical  nest 
which  he  collected  in  June. 

In  Texas,  it  commences  to  build  about  the  first  part  of  May.  Mr. 
T.  D.  Perry  has  found  eggs  as  early  as  May  10,  slightly  incubated,  near 
Savannah,  Georgia,  and  fresh  eggs  as  late  as  July  7,  indicating  that  at 
least  two  broods  are  reared  in  a  season.  The  nest  resembles  that  of  the 
Painted  Bunting,  being  invan'-'bly  lined  with  fine  brown  rootlets,  and 
occasionally  it  contains  some  ho  ie  hair.  A  characteristic  of  the  Blue 
Grosbeak's  nest  is  that  it  almost  invariably  contains  pieces  of  snake- 
skin  in  the  outer  material  of  withered  leaves  and  plants.  It  is  placed 
in  blackberry  bushes  along  road-sides  and  on  the  border  of  woods. 
Mr.  J.  A.  Singley,  of  Giddings,  Texas,  says  that  in  Lee  county  a  favorite 
nesting  place  is  in  the  vicinity  of  houses  where  the  first  growth  of  timber 
has  been  cut  down  and  a  growth  of  low  thick  bushes  replaces  it.  He 
says  he  has  taken  the  nest  in  peach,  apple,  hickory  and  post-oak  trees, 
ranging  from  fifteen  to  thirty  feet.  Mr.  E.  C.  Davis  states  that  in 
Cooke  county,  Texas,  this  species  usually  nests  in  alder  bushes  in 
swampy  places. 

The  eggs  are  three  or  four  in  number,  plain  light  blue,  and  when 
exposed  to  light  a  little  while,  fade  into  dull  white ;  oval  in  shape  and 
average  .84  x  .66  On  the  24th  of  May,  1887,  Mr.  Perry  found  a  nest 
containing  four  spotted  eggs  of  this  species.  They  were  distinctly 
marked  with  dots  and  spots  of  chestnut  and  subdued  lilac.  One  of  the 
eggs  was  accidently  broken ;  the  remaining  three  measure  .87  x  .63,  .82 
X  .62,  .82  X  .62  respectively. 

*  Within  this  habitat  is  also  included  the  Western  form  of  the  Blue  Grosbeak,  G.  cetrulea  eurhyHcha 
Coues,  inhabiting  Southwestern  United  States,  north  to  Colorado,  California,  etc.,  south  throughout  Mexico. 


;i 


.67,  1.07  X 


lUrly,  but  very 
louth  in  winter 

>ut  breeds 
as  South- 
,  Arizona, 
esident  of 
•rtion;  be- 
h  Atlantic 
ty  of  Ral- 
of  June, 
pical  nest 

lay.     Mr. 
ated,  near 
ig  that  at 
hat  of  the 
tlets,  and 
the  Blue 
)f  snake- 
placed 
'  woods, 
a  favorite 
of  timber 
it.      He 
ak  trees, 
that  in 
jshes  in 


d  when 
ape  and 
d  a  nest 
stinctly 
2  of  the 
•63,  .82 


eurhyncha 
ut  Mexico. 


NORTH  AMERICAN   BIRDS.  333 

598.    Passerina  cyanea    (Linn.)    [248.] 

Indiso  Bamtln(. 

Hab.  United  Statei  and  Southern  British  Provinces;  weit  to  the  Great  Plaini;  south  in  winter  to 
Veragua. 

The  Indigo  Bluebird  or  Indigo  Painted  Bunting  is  quite  an  abun- 
dant bird  in  various  parts  of  the  United  States  from  the  valley  of  the 
Missouri  to  the  Atlantic,  and  from  Florida  to  New  Brunswick.  The 
male  of  this  ^.pecies  is  of  an  intense  indigo-blue  color,  and  the  female 
plain  grayish -brown.  Breeds  throughout  its  United  States  range.  The 
nest  is  built  in  a  bush  or  low  shrubby  tree,  generally  in  an  upright 
crotch ;  it  is  composed  of  weed  stalks,  twigs  and  coarse  grass,  and 
lined  with  finer  material  of  the  same.  It  is  on  the  whole  an  inartistic 
nest  for  a  bird  of  gay  plumage.  The  eggs  are  four  in  number, 
white,  with  a  bluish  or  greenish  tinge,  unspotted  or  rarely  thinly  dotted 
with  brown  ;  average  size  ,  75  x  .53.  Sometimes  the  eggs  of  this  species 
are  pure  white  unmarked. 

599.    Passerina  amcBiia    (Say.)    [249.] 

TiB^nH  Banting. 

Hab.  Western  United  States  from  the  Great  Plains  to  the  Pacific;  south  in  winter  to  Western 
Mexico. 

The  Lazuli  Painted  Finch  is  common  in  Colorado,  Arizona,  and 
very  abundant  in  California ;  in  fact  it  is  generally  distributed  through- 
out the  west,  and  along  the  Pacific  Coast  is  found  as  far  north  as  Puget 
Sound  during  the  summer.  It  replaces  the  Indigo  Bunting  from  the 
Plains  to  the  Pacific  and  is  found  in  all  suitable  localities.  The  nest 
is  usually  built  in  a  bush  or  in  the  lower  limbs  of  trees,  a  few  feet  from 
the  ground.  It  is  composed  of  fine  strips  of  bark,  small  twigs,  grasses, 
and  is  lined  with  hair. 

The  eggs  are  usually  four  in  number,  light  bluish-green  which 
readily  fades  when  exposed  to  light;  they  resemble  very  closely 
the  eggs  of  the  Bluebird ;  some  specimens  are  not  distinguishable  with 
certainty ;  average  size,  .75  x  .58.  Sets  of  these  eggs  are  in  my  cabinet 
collected  by  Mr.  R.  B.  Herron  at  San  Gorgonia  Pass,  California,  be- 
tween May  4  and  June  13,  1883.  The  sizes  of  two  sets,  four  eggs  each 
are  .76X.55,  .77  x  .55,  .74  x  .58,  .74  x  .56;  .74  x  .53,  .75  x  .59,  .78  x  .55, 
.79  X  .56.  A  set  of  four  taken  June  10  gives  the  following  dimensions : 
.81 X  .62,  .83  X  .64,  .79  X  .62,  .83  X  .64.  _   •     ^ _     _■  j  .  ,.:.^.^^.; 

600.    Passerina  versicolor    (Bonap.)    [250.]        ^.    • 

Varied  Bnntlng. 

Hab.     Lower  Rio  Grande  Valley  in  Texas,  southward  into  Eastern  Mexico. 

This  bird  is  called  Purple  Painted  Finch,  Western  Nonpareil, 
Prusiano.  It  inhabits  the  region  of.  the  Ivower  Rio  Grande  in  Texas 
south  into  Eastern  Mexico.  Habits  and  nesting  like  those  of  /*, 
amcena.    Eggs  dull  bluish-white ;  size  .75  x  .57. 


i 


3?it'';. 


334 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


601.    Passerina  oiris    (Linn.)    [asi.] 

Painted  Bvntlag. 

Hab.    Southern  Atlantic  and  Gulf  Statei,  north  >.o  North  Carolina  and  Southern  Illlnoii,  south  in 


winter  to  Panama. 


Called  Nonpareil,  Painted  Finch  and  **  Mexican  Canary."  In 
Mexico  and  in  some  of  the  Southern  States  it  is  a  favorite  cage-bird. 
The  male  is  a  bird  of  handsome  variegated  plumage  —  blue,  green,  ver- 
milion-red, yellowish-green,  etc.,  and  the  female  plain  olive-green.  A 
common  species  in  the  South  Atlantic  and  Gulf  States,  nesting 
in  May,  June  and  July,  often  rearing  two  broods  in  a  season.  In 
Georgia,  Mr.  Perry  states  that  he  has  found  nests  as  early  as  April  7 
and  as  late  as  July  20  with  eggs.  A  nest  before  me  collected  by  Mr. 
G.  Noble,  of  Savannah,  Georgia,  is  composed  of  leaves,  bark  strips, 
twigs,  rootlets  and  fine  grasses.  It  is  on  the  whole  a  neat,  compact 
structure.  The  nest  is  sometimes  lined  with  horse  hairs.  It  is  built  in 
the  smallest  bushes,  in  saplings  and  also  in  the  tallest  trees.  Mr. 
Perry  has  found  two  or  three  nests  in  a  single  tree,  and  one  nest  built 
upon  another,  with  eggs  in  the  cavities  of  both. 

The  eggs  are  four  or  five  in  number,  dull  pearly-white  or  bluish, 
speckled  and  blotched  with  reddish-brown  particularly  at  the  larger 
end ;  average  size  .79  x  .60.  Four  eggs  measure  .76  x  .57,  .75  x  .55,  .80 
X.60,  . Sox. 57. 

602.    SporopMla  morelleti  sharpei    Lawr.    [253.] 


Hab. 


Sharpens  Seed>eat«r.<l( 

Lower  Rio  Grande  Valley  in  Texas,  and  adjacent  parts  of  Mexico. 


This  curious  little  Sparrow  is  found  in  the  Rio  Grande  Valley 
in  Southern  Texas  and  adjacent  portions  of  Mexico.  Dr.  Merrill 
states  that  it  is  not  uncommon  in  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Brown. 
The  birds  were  usually  seen  in  patches  of  briers  and  low  bushes  at  no 
great  distance  from  water,  and  were  very  tame.  During  the  breeding 
season  the  male  has  a  very  sprightly  song  much  resembling  that  of  the 
Indigo  Bunting,  but  sweeter.  At  least  two  pairs  built  within  the  Fort 
during  the  season  of  1877.  One  of  the  nests,  found  early  in  May,  was  in 
a  bush  about  three  feet  from  the  ground ;  it  was  not  pensile ;  placed  be- 
tween three  upright  twigs,  composed  entirely  of  a  peculiar  yellow 
root.  This  was  destroyed  by  a  violent  storm  before  the  eggs  were  de- 
posited. A  second  nest  found  May  25,  placed  in  a  young  ebony-bush, 
four  feet  from  the  ground,  was  deserted  immediately  after  completion. 
It  was  a  delicate  structure  supported  at  the  rim  and  beneath  by  twigs, 
and  built  of  very  fine,  dry  grass,  with  a  few  horse  hairs.  Unfortu- 
nately no  eggs  were  obtained.  The  eggs  we  belike  remain  at  the 
present  time  unknown. 

<■  Sporophila  mortlltti  (Bonap,),  Morellet's  Seed-eater  in  A.  O.  Check  List. 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


336 


llnoii,  louth  in 


603.  Euetheia  bicolor    (Linn.)    [253.] 

Oraa«qult« 

Hab.    Bahamai;  accidental  or  casual  in  Southern  Florida. 

This  is  the  Black-faced  Grassquit  which  is  common  in  various 
islands  of  the  Bahama  group.  It  appears  to  be  accidental  in  Florida. 
Said  to  construct  a  large  domed-shaped  nest  with  a  lateral  entrance. 
It  is  built  in  bushes  and  low  shrubbery. 

Eggs  three  to  five,  white  or  greenish-white,  speckled  with  reddish ; 
average  size  .65  x  .50.  Mr.  Norris  has  two  sets  in  his  collection.  One 
of  three  was  taken  near  Fort  Nassau,  on  one  of  the  Bahamas.  The 
nest  was  made  of  dried  grasses.  The  eggs  are  white,  speckled  and 
spotted,  principally  at  the  larger  end,  with  walnut-brown  and  lavender- 
gray;  sizes  .68  x  .51,  .69  x  .52,  .67  x  .54.  The  other  set  consisting  of  two 
eggs,  was  collected  in  the  same  locality,  on  March  30,  1884.  They  are 
white,  sprinkled  and  speckled  with  lavender-gray  and  cinnamon  ;  they 
measure  .71  x  .52,  .69  x  .52. 

604.  Splza  americana    (Gmel.)    [254.] 

Dlokoinel. 

Hab.  Eastern  United  States  (chiefly  west  of  the  Alleghaniei)  to  the  Rocky  Mountains,  north  to 
Massachusetts,  New  York,  Wisconsin,  Minnesota,  etc.,  south  in  winter  to  Northern  South  America. 

Known  as  the  Black-throated  Bunting,  "Little  Field  Lark,"  and 
"Judas-bird."  In  general  appearance  it  looks  like  the  European  House 
Sparrow,  P.  domesticus^  averaging  a  trifle  larger.  The  favorite 
resorts  of  the  Black-throated  Bunting  are  pastures  with  a  sparse  growth 
of  stunted  bushes  .and  clover  fields.  In  these  places  its  unmusical, 
monotonous  song  may  be  heard  throughout  the  day  during  the  breed- 
ing season.  Its  song  is  utterred  from  a  tall  weed,  stump  or  fence-stake 
and  is  a  very  pleasing  ditty  when  its  sound  is  heard  coming  far  over 
grain  fields  and  meadows  in  the  blaze  of  the  noon-day  sun,  when  all  is 
hushed  and  most  other  birds  have  retired  to  shadier  places. 

The  nest  of  the  Black-throated  Bunting  is  built  on  the  ground,  in 
trees  and  in  bushes.  In  Central  Ohio  I  have  never  found  the  nest  in 
any  other  position  than  on  the  ground  under  the  shelter  of  a  tuft  of 
grass  or  bush.  In  Western  Illinois,  Mr.  Poling  states  that  they  are 
placed  in  the  tall  grass  or  in  clover  fields.  Mr.  L.  Jones  informs  me 
that  in  Iowa  the  nest  may  be  found  almost  anywhere,  not  above  twenty 
feet  in  trees  and  bushes,  or  on  the  ground  in  prairie  lands.  Nesting  is 
begun  in  May,  and  the  second  nests  are  built  in  July  or  August.  The 
materials  are  leaves,  grasses,  rootlets,  corn  husks  and  weed  stems  ;  the 
lining  is  of  fine  grasses,  and  often  horse  hair.  On  the  whole  the  nest 
of  this  species  is  a  compact  structure. 

The  eggs  are  four  or  five  in  number,  almost  exactly  like  those  of 


\...\     I 


-^rnn^ 


336 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


i ; 


t ' 


ini> 


the  Blue  bird;  average  size  .8ox.6o.  Ten  eggs  measure  .76x.bo,  .76 
J.  .62,  .77  X  .60,  .79  X  .62,  .79  X  .59,  .80  X  .62,  .81  X  .60,  .80  X  .59,  .75  X  .56, 
.82  X  .59. 

605.    Calamospiza  melanocorys    Stejn.    [256.] 

Lark  BuintiziK* 

Hab.  Plains  of  Dakota  and  Middle  Kansas  west  to  the  Rocky  Mountains,  northward  to  or  beyond 
the  United  States,  south  in  winter  to  Texas,  New  Mexico,  Arizona,  Lower  California  and  Northern  New 
Mexico;  occasional  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.    Accidental  in  Massachusetts. 

A  bird  of  the  plains  —  a  summer  resident  in  Middle  and  Western 
Kansas,  breeding  from  thence  northward  to  or  beyond  the  United 
States  boundary.  The  bird  is  said  to  utter  the  mo.st  delightful  songs, 
and  its  warbles  are  described  as  similar  to  those  of  the  Bobolink  and 
the  soft  cadence  of  the  Skylark.  The  nest  is  placed  on  the  ground, 
sometimes  sunken  even  with  the  surface,  and  beneath  the  shelter  of 
a  bush  or  tuft  of  grass.  It  is  composed  of  fine  sten  s,  grasses,  and 
lined  with  finer  grasses  and  vegetable  down. 

The  eggs  are  four  or  five  in  number,  light  blue,  and  measure  .85  x 
.65.  Mr.  Norris  has  a  set  of  four  collected  by  Capt.  Chas.  E.  Bendire, 
near  Fort  Custer,  July  2,  1885.  These  measure  .84  x  .65,  .84  x  .67,  .84 
X  .65,  .84  X  .66. 

606.    Euphonia  elegantissima    (Bonap.)    [160.] 

Blne>headed  Enphoniat 

Hah.     Eastern  Mexico,  Central  America,  south  to  Varagua,  Southern  Texas.     (Giraud). 

This  Tanager  of  varieated  plumage  is  admitted  to  our  fauna  on  the 
above  authoritj'  and  it  doubtless  does  occur  over  the  Mexican  boundary. 
Its  eggs  are  described  as  creamy-white,  with  a  few  scattered  spots  and 
blotches  ot  two  shades  of, /brown,  principally  at  the  larger  end. 

607.    Piranga  ludoviciana    (Wils.)    [162.] 

liOuiBlana  Tanageri 

Hab.  Western  United  States,  from  the  Plains  to  the  Pacific,  north  to  British  Columbia,  south  in  win- 
ter to  Guatemala. 

Throughout  the  evergreen  forests  from  Oregon  and  Montana 
southward  to  Southern  California  and  Arizona  this  Tanager  is  a  com- 
mon species,  breeding  in  suitable  localities,  wherever  found.  It  is 
called  crimson-headed  and  Western  Tanager.  The  nesting  season  is 
in  April,  May,  June  and  July,  according  to  locality.  The  nest  is  a 
thin,  saucer-shaped  structure,  made  of  bark  strips  and  grass  stems, 
placed  Oil  the  horizontal  branches  of  trees,  preferedly  evergreens  and 
usually  in  the  lower  branches.  The  eggs  are  three  to  five  in  number, 
of  a  clear,  light  bluish -green,  finely  ynd  rather  sparsely  sprmkled  chief- 
ly at  the  larger  end  with  clove-brown.  The  eggs  are  of  a  brighter 
biui^  V  til.  •^d  the  markings  are  more  speck-like  than  those  of  the 
Scarlet  Tanager  or  Summer  Tanager,      The  average  size  is  .95  x  65. 


Copyright  iSSc). 


PLATE   X. 


'6x.bo,  ,76 
9,  •75X.56, 


rd  to  or  beyond 
Northern  New 

d  Western 
:he  United  , 
itful  songs, 
Dolink  and 
le  ground, 
shelter  of 
rasses,  and 

asure  .85  x 
;.  Bendire, 
4  X  .67,  .84 


ina  on  the 
boundary, 
spots  and 

Id. 


a,  south  in  win- 

Montana 
is  a  com- 
Qd.     It   is 
season  is 
nest  is  a 
Lss  stems, 
reens  and 
1  number, 
led  chief- 
brighter 
•se  of  the 
5  .95x65. 


-■■'-■A.,     .        ,^.^  t,.    ■-■■..       .  ■.   M...-<.l//Jtitl.;.V.i<').l>lV,t.    >^j;. 


BAI^TIMORK   ORIOLE   AND    NKST. 

\lcttrut  galtula.) 


Page  280. 


I  i|i  lin— ini'iifji 


NORTH   AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


337 


A  set  of  three  in  Mr.  Norris'  cabinet  taken  in  L/arimer  county,  Colo- 
rado, measure  .97  x  .69,  .92  x  .68,  .91  x  .64. 

"  '  608.    Piranga  erythromelas    Vieill    [161.] 

Scarlet  Tanager. 

Hab.  Eastern  United  States,  north  to  Southern  Canada,  west  to  the  Great  Plains,  south  in  winter  \» 
the  West  Indies,  Central  America  and  Northern  South  America. 

The  male  Scarlet  Tanager  is  one  of  the  most  brilliant  and  striking 
of  all  our  birds.  From  its  black  wings  resembling  pockets  it  is  fre- 
quently called  "Pocket-bird."  The  female  is  plain  olive-green. 
Breeds  as  far  north  as  Southern  Canada  and  west  to  Eastern  Kansas, 
south  to  South  Carolina  and  Texas.  It  inhabits  woodlands  and  is  par- 
ticularly fond  of  swampy  places.  The  breeding  season  begins  in  the 
latter  part  of  May.  The  nest  is  generally  found  in  low,  thick  woods, 
or  in  the  skirting  of  tangled  thi«.  its ;  very  often,  also,  in  an  orchard, 
on  the  norizontal  limb  of  some  low  tree  or  sapling.  The  nest  is  usu- 
ally very  flat,  loosely  constructed  of  twigs,  fine  bark  strips,  lined  with 
rootlets  and  fine  inner  bark. 

The  eggs  are  three  to  five  in  number,  commonly  four,  and  of  a 
greenish-blue ,  speckled,  'potted  and  blotched  with  rufous-brown,  more 
or  less  confluent,  in  £-»me  chiefly  at  the  larger  end.  The  markings 
have  a  reddish  tint  while  those  of  the  Summer  Redbird,  P.  rubra^  are 
more  of  a  brownish  hue.  Ten  eggs  measure  respectively  .89  x  .60,  .89 
X.62,  .92X.64,  .94X.62,  1.00X.64,  .98 X. 65,  1. 00 X. 65,  .95  x  .64,  .94 x 
.62,  .97X.63;  average  size  .96X.65. 

609.    Piranga  hepatica    Swains.    [  163.] 

fr  Hepatic  Tamager. 

Hab.  Southern  Arizona  and  New  Mexico,  southward. 

Mr.  W.  E.  D.  Scott  gives  this  spev-ies  as  a  summer  resident  in  the 
oak  region  of  the  Catalina  Mountains  of  Southern  Arizona,  at  an  alti- 
tude of  5000  feet,  breeding  late  :n  the  season,  from  May  6  to  9,  A 
nest  found  July  12  containing  uiree  young  was  built  on  the  outer 
branch  of  a  live  oak  and  was  entirely  similar  to  that  of  the  Scarlet 
Tanager.  No  reliable  description  of  the  eggs  are  at  hand.  The  male 
of  this  species  is  of  a  dull  red  color,  females  and  young  males  green- 
ish-yellow. 

610.    Piranga  rubra    (Linn.)    [164.] 

Siunmer  Tanager. 

Hab.  E.-istern  United  States  west  to  the  edge  of  the  Plains;  north  regularly  to  about  40° — New  Jer- 
sey, Central  Ohio,  Illinois,  etc.,  casually  north  to  Connecticut  and  Ontario,  accidentally  to  Nova  Scotia,  win- 
tering in  Cubn,  Central  America  and  Northern  South  America. 

The  Summer  Redbird  or  Rose  Tanager  breeds  nearly  throughout  its 
United  States  range.  The  adult  male  is  a  plain  vermilion  red ;  the 
plumage  of  the  female   is  olive.      In  habits  this  species   resembles 

23 


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wmnmmm 


'm 


W  i 


m 


338 


NESTS  AND   EGGS   OF 


the  Scarlet  Tanager  but  is  not  so  retiring,  frequenting  open  groves 
and  often  visiting  towns  and  cities.  According  to  Col.  N.  S.  Goss  it  is 
a  common  summer  resident  in  Eastern  Kansas  where  it  begins  laying 
about  the  20th  of  May.  The  nesting  season  of  this  bird  extends  to 
the  latter  part  of  July,  but  varies  with  the  degrees  of  latitude  and 
season. 

The  nest  is  composed  chiefly  of  bark-strips  and  leaves  interwoven 
with  various  vegetable  substances.  The  structure  is  usually  built  on  a 
horizontal  or  drooping  branch,  near  its  extremity,  and  situated  at  the 
edge  of  a  grove  near  the  roadside.  All  the  nests  of  this  species 
which  I  have  seen  collected  in  Ohio,  are  very  thin  and  frail  structures ; 
so  thin  that  the  eggs  may  usually  be  seen  from  below.  A  nest  sent  me 
from  I/Ce  county,  Texas,  by  Mr.  J.  A.  Singley,  is  compactly  built  of 
a  cottony  weed,  a  few  stems  of  Spanish  moss,  and  lined  with  fine  grass 
stems  and  a  few  catkins.  Mr.  L.  O.  Pindar  states  that  nests  of  this 
species  in  Kentucky  are  compactly  built  but  not  very  thickly  lined. 

The  eggs  are  bright,  light  emerald  green,  spotted,  dotted  and 
blotched  with  various  shades  of  lilac,  brownish-purple  and  dark  brown ; 
they  cannot,  with  certainty,  be  distinguished  from  the  eggs  of  the 
Scarlet  Tanager,  but  the  brown  tint  in  the  markings  predominate.  Ten 
specimens  offer  as  great  variation  in  their  sizes  As  do  those  of  P. 
erythromelas^  and  average  about  the  same,  .94  x  .64. 

610a.    Piranga  rubra  cooperi    Ridgw.    [164a.] 

Cooper's  Tanager. 

Hab.     Arizona,  New  Mexico,  north  to  (Denver)  Colorado  south  to  Western  Mexico. 

According  to  Mr.  Scott  this  sub-species  is  a  common  migrant  and 
summer  resident  about  Tucson,  Riverside,  Florence,  and  at  Mineral 
Creek  and  in  the  San  Pedro  Valley  of  Southern  Arizona,  They  seem 
to  be  more  rare  than  either  of  the  other  species  of  the  Tanager  in  the 
oak  region  of  the  Catalinas,  where  a  few  breed.  The  eggs  are 
described  as  being  not  distinguishable  from  those  of  P.  rubra. 


611. 


[152.] 


Progne  subis    (Linn.) 

Purple  Martin. 

Hab.    Whole  of  temperate  North  America,  south  in  winter  to  Mexico  and  farther. 

The  Martin,  conspicuous  for  its  striking  color  and  screaming, 
crackling  noise,  breeds  thrciighout  its  United  States  range.  It  origin- 
ally built  in  hollow  trees,  and  some  of  the  "  old  fogies  "  do  yet,  but 
those  who  find  suitable  nesting  places  in  eaves  and  cornices  of  build- 
ings or  in  boxes  prepared  for  their  use,  are  thus  bred  to  American  ideas 
and  never  return  to  their  old  log  cabins  in  the  air.  This  jolly  fellow 
who  puts  life  into  the  ojuiet  streets  of  country  towns,  and  large  cities 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


339 


:n  groves 
Goss  it  is 
ns  laying 
xtends  to 
itude  and 

terwoven 
auilt  on  a 
;d  at  the 
s  species 
Tuctures ; 
t  sent  me 
!  built  of 
fine  grass 
;s  of  this 
lined. 
>tted  and 
k  brown ; 
js  of  the 
ite.  Ten 
)se  of  P, 


rant  and 
Mineral 
ley  seem 
tx  in  the 
eggs  are 


reaming, 
t  origin- 
yet,  but 
of  build- 
an  ideas 
y  fellow 
je  cities 


also,  by  his  noise  and  activity,  constructs  a  nest  out  of  anything  that 
is  handy  —  leaves,  twigs,  straws,  bits  of  string,  rags  and  paper. 

Commonly  four  or  five  eggs  are  laid,  rarely  six.  They  are  pure, 
glossy  white,  oval-oblong,  pointed  at  one  end,  and  average  .98  x  .73. 
Six  specimens  measure  .94  x  .69,  ,95  x  .70,  .95  x  .69,  .98  x  .75,  i.oo  x 
•75.  -99  X  .69. 

612.    Petrochelidoii  lunlfrons    (Say.)    [153.]  > 

cuff  Swallow- 

Hab.     North  America  in  general;  in  winter  south  to  Central  and  portions  of  South  America. 

The  "  Republicans,"  as  they  are  sometimes  called,  or  Eave  Swal- 
lows, are  known  to  occur  and  breed  throughout  the  whole  of  North 
America.  As  the  name  implies,  and  as  almost  every  one  knows,  this 
bird  fixes  its  queer  bottle-shaped  nest  to  the  perpendicular  faces  of 
rocks  and  hard  embankments,  also  on  the  walls  of  houses  and  under 
shelter  of  the  eaves.  The  nests  are  not  always  retort  or  flask-shaped, 
some  have  no  necks,  and  the  degree  of  perfection  in  style  depends 
upon  circumstances.  They  are  made  entirely  of  mud,  tempered  by 
the  bill  of  the  bird  and  are  well  lined  v;ith  straw,  wool  and  feathers. 
The  birds  are  alv^ays  found  in  colonies  during  the  breedmg  season, 
which  extends  all  through  the  summer  months. 

The  eggs  are  white,marked  with  dots,blotches  and  points  of  reddish- 
brown,  chiefly  about  the  larger  end ;  they  are  less  elongated  than  those 
of  the  Barn  Swallow,  but  the  markings  of  the  two  are  hardly  distin- 
guishable. The  eggs  of  the  Cliff  Swallow  average  a  trifle  larger;  they 
are  four  to  five  and  sometimes  six  in  number ;  .82  x  .56. 

813.    Chelidon  er^throgaster    (Bopd.)    [154-] 

Barn  S'wallow^t 

Hab.  Whole  of  North  America;  south  in  winter  to  Central  America,  West  Indies,  and  various  por- 
tions of  South  America. 

Nearly  everyone  knows  this  beautiful,  deeply  forked-tailed  Swal- 
low which  builds  its  nest  in  barns  and  under  the  eaves  of  other  out- 
buildings. The  female  bird  of  this  species,  however,  does  not  possess 
as  deeply  a  forked  tail  as  is  common  in  the  male  bird.  The  nest  is  a 
bowl-shaped  structure,  entirely  open  above,  composed  of  pellets  of  mud, 
mixed  v/ith  straws,  and  warmly  lined  with  soft  feathers.  It  is  attached 
by  one  side  to  the  rafters  within  barns,  on  the  sides  of  caves,  etc.  From 
three  to  five  or  six  eggs  are  deposited;  they  are  white,  marked  with 
spots  and  blotches  of  bright  reddish-brown,  chiefly  at  the  larger  end. 
The  eggs  appear  rather  narrow  for  their  length;  sizes  range  from  .68 
to  .78  in  length  by  .50  to  .56  broad ;  average  size,  .75  x  .55. 


ilH! 


m^ 


<n; 


340  NESrS  AND  EGGS  OF 

814.    Tachycineta  bicolor    (Vieill  )    [155.] 

Tree  Swallow^s 

Hab.  Whole  of  North  America  in  summer;  wintering  from  Southern  Florida,  Cuba,  and  Gulf  coast 
to  Guatemala. 

This  is  the  White-bellied  Swallow,  which  breeds  in  all  suitable 
localities  throughout  its  North  American  range.  The  nesting  season 
is  in  May,  June,  and  July.  Its  favorite  resorts  are  in  the  vicinity  of 
ponds,  marshes,  and  rivers,  and  even  in  its  migrations  it  is  seldom  seen 
far  away  from  running  water.  In  these  places  lofty,  leafless  tree-trunks 
are  its  nesting  sites  —  in  the  old  excavations  of  woodpeckers,  natural 
cavities,  etc.  Sometimes  it  nests  in  cliffs  or  buildings.  In  the  Eastern 
States  this  bird  frequently  nests  in  bird-boxes.  Mr.  C.  S.  Shick,  of  Sea 
Isle  City,  New  Jersey,  says  that  a  pair  had  taken  possession  of  a  box 
which  he  had  put  up  in  his  yard.  The  materials  used  in  nest-building 
are  grasses  and  straw,  thickly  lined  with  feathers.  Mr.  Walter  E.  Bry- 
ant found  a  nest  of  this  bird  under  the  projecting  and  decayed  deck  of 
a  lumber  lighter,  moored  at  Oakland  (Cal.)  harbor.  From  four  to  seven, 
and  occasionally  nine,  pure  white  eggs  are  laid.  The  average  size  of 
ten  eggs  is  .75  x  .53. 

Mr.  Edson  A.  McMillan  informs  me  that  he  took  from  a  single  nest 
in  regular  succession  no  less  than  five  sets,  each  containing  five  eggs. 
This  was  in  the  Adirondack  Mountain  region,  beginning  with  set  No.  i 
the  first  part  of  June. 

615.    Tachycineta  thalassina    (Swains.)    [156.] 

Violet-green  Surallcw. 

Hab.    Western   United   States,  from  the    Rocky  Mountains    to    the    Pacific;    south   in   winter  to 
uatemala. 

This  lovely  Swallow  is  common  from  the  Central  Plains  of  the 
United  States  to  the  Pacific  coast.  It  breeds  abundantly  in  California, 
Oregon,  and  Washington  Territory.  The  most  characteristic  Swal- 
low of  the  pine  regions  of  Arizona,  and  is  also  found  in  considerable 
abundance  in  Colorado,  nesting  in  all  suitable  localities,  and,  like  the 
Eave  Swallow,  usually  in  colonies.  It  nests  in  knot-holes  of  oak  and 
and  other  deciduous  trees  and  in  the  deserted  excavations  of  woodpeck- 
ers, and  more  recently  it  has  been  found  breeding  under  the  eaves  of 
houses,  like  the  Cliff  Swallow.  The  nest  is  made  of  dry  grasses,  lined 
with  a  thick  mass  of  feathers.  This  species  has  also  been  found  nest- 
ing in  holes  in  banks.  Four  or  five  pure  white  eggs  are  laid ;  average 
size,  .74  x  .52.  Mr.  Norris  has  a  set  of  five  eggs  taken  in  Marion  county, 
Oregon,  June  7.  The  eggs  measure  .74  x  .52,  .78  x  .52,  .75  x  .52,  .77  x 
.52,  .76  X  .53. 


2 

J 


H 


f! 


NORTH  AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


616.    Clivicola  riparia    (Linn.)    [157.] 


341 


ind  Gulf  coast 

I  suitable 
ig  season 
icinity  of 
dom  seen 
ee-trunks 
5,  natural 
;  Eastern 
:k,  of  Sea 
of  a  box 
■building 
r  E.  Bry- 
i  deck  of 
to  seven, 
^e  size  of 

igle  nest 
ive  eggs, 
set  No.  I 


n   winter  to 

IS  of  the 
lifornia, 
Swal- 
iderable 
like  the 
oak  and 
odpeck- 
;aves  of 
s,  lined 
id  nest- 
average 
county, 

'77^ 


Bank  Sw^allow. 

Hab.    Northern  Hemisphere  in  general;  in  America,  south  in  winter  to  Northern  South  America. 

The  Bank  Swallow,  or  Sand  Martin,  found  throughout  Europe,  is 
also  equally  common  throughout  North  America,  and  breeds  in  the 
greater  part  of  its  range.  The  holes  in  which  this  bird  nests  are  exca- 
vated by  the  bird  in  the  perpendicular  face  of  sand  or  gravel  banks; 
the  depth  ranges  from  two  to  four  feet.  The  termination  is  usually 
somewhat  enlarged  and  the  bottom  is  thinly  covered  with  a  few  twigs, 
grasses,  and  feathers.  In  suitable  localities  immense  numbers  will 
occupy  a  large  bank  and  so  perforate  it  with  holes  as  to  present  the 
appearance  of  a  huge  honeycomb  alive  with  bees.  From  four  to  six, 
rarely  seven,  pure  white  eggs  ate  deposited,  with  an  average  size  of 
.72X.50;  five  specimens  measure  .68X.49,  .yix.sa,  .72  x  .49,  .73  x  .51, 
.72  X  .52.     Average  size  .71X.50. 

617.    Stelgidopteryx  serripennis    (Aud.)    [158.] 

Rongh-'wlnged  Swalloiv. 

Hab.  United  States,  from  Atlantic  to  Pacific,  and  adjoining  British  Provinces  (rare).  Rare  in  New 
England,  except  in  Connecticut. 

This  species  and  the  Bank  Swallow  are  often  confounded.  The 
Rough-winged,  however,  is  larger,  has  a  more  labored  flight,  lacks  the 
pure  white  of  under  parts,  and  the  pectorial  collar  is  incomplete  and 
obscured.  The  booklets  of  the  wings  of  the  present  species  are  only 
fully  developed  in  adult  birds.  The  Rough-winged  Swallow  breeds 
throughout  most  of  its  United  States  range,  nesting  in  the  crevices  of 
stone  walls  and  arches  over  bridges,  sometimes  in  a  chink  in  the  board- 
ing of  a  building ;  almost  invariably  over  running  water.  The  nesting 
season  is  in  May  and  June.  The  nest  is  simply  constructed  of  grasses, 
straws,  and  lined  with  a  few  feathers.  The  eggs  are  four  to  seven  in 
number,  pure  white,  and  closely  resemble  those  of  the  Bank  Swallow, 
but  the  shells  are  more  tender,  and  they  average  a  trifle  larger,  .75 

X  .53. 

618.    Ampelis  garrulus    Linn.     [150.] 

Bohemian  'Wax-'wing. 

Hab.  Northern  porti  as  of  the  Northern  Hemisphere.  In  America,  south  regularly  to  the  Northern 
tier  of  States,  and  in  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  Colorado;  irregularly  or  casually  to  about  35^  (Pennsylvania, 
Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois,  Kansas,  New  Mexico,  and  Ariiona). 

The  Bohemian  Wax-wing  looks  like  the  Cedar-bird,  but  is  much 
larger.  It  is  a  restless,  roving  species,  and  its  visits  in  the  Northern 
States  are  uncertain.  Breeds  in  high  latitudes,  and  in  the  West  down 
to  the  United  States  border  in  the  Rocky  Mountains.  Its  nest  has  been 
found  by  Mr.  Kennicott  on  the  Yukon,  and  by  Mr.  McFarlane  in  the 
Anderson  River  region.  Its  nesting  is  substantially  the  same  as  that  of 
the  Cedar  Wax-wing.     Captain  B.  F.  Goss  has  a  set  of  four  eggs  of  this 


342 


NESTS  AND   EGGS   OF 


species  which  was  taken  in  Labrador,  June  i8,  1885.  Their  color  is 
bluish-white,  spotted  with  lilac,  and  very  dark  brown,  being  like  those 
of  the  Cedar-bird,  but  are  larger;  sizes,  .99  x  .70,  .98  x  .70,  1.05  x  .69, 
1.06  X  .70.  Mr.  Norris  has  a  set  of  three  Bohemian  Wax-wing's  eggs 
taken  in  Lapland,  June  20,  1875.  These  are  exactly  like  large  eggs  of 
A.  cedrorum^  and  measure  .91  x  .69,  .93  x  .68,  .89  a  .68. 

619.  Ampelis  cedrorum    (Vieill.)    [151.] 

Cedar 'Waz-'wlng. 

Hab.  North  America  in  general,  froTi  the  Fur  Countries  southward.  In  winter  south  to  Guatemala 
and  West  Indies. 

The  Cherry-bird,  Cedar-^:)ird,  Southern,  or  Carolina  Wax-wing,  is 
found  throughout  North  America,  as  far  as  the  wooded  country  extends, 
and  breeds  from  Florida  to  the  Red  River  country.  It  goes  in  flocks 
nearly  the  entire  year.  The  usual  position  of  the  nest  of  these  species 
is  in  a  cedar  bush  or  orchard  tree,  and  it  is  often  placed  in  a  sycamore, 
the  distance  varying  from  four  to  eighteen  feet  from  the  ground.  It  is 
sometimes  a  very  handsome  structure,  being  rather  bulky,  and  made  of 
bark,  leaves,  roots,  twigs,  weeds,  paper,  rags,  and  twine,  lined  with  finer 
grasses,  hair,  and  wool.  The  nesting  time  is  late  —  June,  July,  and 
August. 

The  eggs  range  from  three  to  five  in  a  set,  average  .84  x  .61,  and 
are  from  a  light  slate  to  a  deep  shade  of  stone-color,  tinged  with  olive, 
marked  with  blotches  and  spots  of  a  dark  brown  and  purple,  almost 
black.  A  set  of  four  eggs  taken  by  E.  H.  Huffman  in  Franklin  county, 
Ohio,  August  19,  1888,  is  before  me.  The  eggs  offer  the  following  di- 
mensions :  .93  X  .63,  .85  X  .65,  .92  x  .66,  ,94  X  .65.  These  seem  to  be 
uncommonly  large ;  a  common  size  is  .85  x  .60. 

620.  Phainopepla  nitens    (Swains.)    [26.] 

Phainopepla. 

Hab.  Northern  Mexico  and  contiguous  border  of  United  States,  from  Western  Texas  to  Southern 
California. 

A  singular  bird,  known  as  the  Shining  Fly-snapper,  or  Black- 
crested  Fly-catcher.  It  inhabits  the  southern  portion  of  Western 
United  States — abundant  in  Western  Texas,  Southern  New  Mexico, 
Arizona,  and  California.  Its  resorts  are  regions  of  low  shrubbery  and 
wooded  land  in  the  vicinity  of  water.  According  to  Mr.  W.  E.  D. 
Scott,  this  bird  has  a  peculiar,  bell-like,  whistling  note  that  is  very 
musical. 

The  breeding  season  is  in  May  and  June.  The  nest  is  built  in 
trees  of  various  kinds,  oftener  perhaps  in  oaks  and  mesquites,  rang- 
ing in  height  from  eight  to  twenty-five  feet  above  ground.  It  is  a 
flat,  loosely  made  affair,  and  the  curious,  light-colored  vegetable  sub- 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


343 


stances  —  twigs,  stems,  mosses,  and  soft,  doA<^ny  or  cottony  fibres  — 
seem  to  harmonize  well  with  the  odd  coloration  of  the  eggs.  These 
are  two  or  three  in  number.  The  majority  of  the  nests  found  by  Mr. 
Scott  in  Pima  county,  Arizona,  contained  three  eggs,  while  a  large 
series  of  nests,  with  eggs,  collected  at  San  Gorgonia  Pass,  California, 
by  Mr.  Herron,  during  the  months  of  May  and  June,  1883,  were  of  two 
eggs  each.  They  are  of  a  yellowish  or  light  or  dull  gray,  thickly 
speckled  (some  grotesquely  marked)  with  a  neutral  tint,  dark  brown, 
and  blackish.  Ten  eggs  measure,  .84  x  .64,  .87  x  .63,  .88  x  .69,  .89  x 
.69,  .90  X  .70,  .90  X  .69,  .91  X  .70,  .91  X  .67,  .90  X  .63,  .91  X  .69. 

621.    Lanius  borealis    (Vieill.)    [148.] 

Northern  Shrike* 

Ilab.  Northern  North  America;  south  in  winter  to  the  Potomac,  Ohio  Valleys,  Kansas,  Colorado, 
Nevada,  California,  and  Arizona. 

'  The  Shrikes  are  birds  of  a  cruel,  reckless,  quarrelsome  nature  — 
rapacious  and  carniverous,  feeding  on  grasshoppers  and  other  insects, 
together  with  lizards,  small  birds,  and  quadrupeds  which  they  are  able 
to  overpower.  They  often  boldly  attack  cage-birds,  even  in  the  pres- 
ence of  their  owners.  Their  most  noted  trait  is  that  of  impaling  small 
birds,  mice,  and  other  prey  on  thorns  and  sharp  twigs.  In  the  breeding 
season  the  Great  Northern  Shrike,  or  Butcher-bird,  is  found  throughout 
the  whole  of  North  America,  north  of  United  States.  It  is  said  to 
breed  in  Maine  and  it  probably  does  in  other  New  England  States. 
It  inhabits  woodland  and  thicket,  and  is  often  ^ound  in  upland  fields. 
When  insect  food  becomes  scarce  this  species  frequently  visits  cities  in 
pursuit  of  the  European  House  Sparrow. 

The  nest  is  a  rather  rude,  bulky  affair,  made  of  twigs,  grass,  and 
stems,  malted  together  and  lined  with  down  and  feathers.  It  is  usually 
built  in  thorny  trees,  bushes,  or  hedges,  and  often  no  attempt  is  made 
at  concealment.  The  eggs  are  four  to  six  in  number,  dull  whitish  or 
greenish-gray,  marked  and  spotted  with  obscure  purple,  light  brown, 
or  olive;  average  size,  1.08  x  .79. 

622.    Lanius  ludovicianus    Linn.    [149] 

Itoggerhead  Shrike. 

Hab.  More  southern  portions  of  Eastern  United  States;  north  regularly  to  Southern  Illinois,  Cen- 
tral Ohio,  and  Virginia;  irregularly  to  Vermont,  etc. 

This  form  of  Shrike  inhabits  the  more  southeastern  portions  of 
Eastern  United  States.  Dr.  Cones  says,  in  its  typical  manifestation  it 
is  characteristic  of  the  South  Atlantic  States;  but  specimens  more 
like  ludoviciamts  than  excubitorides  occur  north  to  New  Eng- 
land and  west  to  Ohio.*     It  is  a  common  resident  in  Central  and 


.:  ri 


«  Key  to  N.  A.  Birds,  p. 


344 


NESTS  AND   EGGS  OF 


m 


I 


Southern  Ohio.  Its  habits  are  essentially  the  same  as  those  of  the 
Northern  Shrike  and  is  not  less  savage  and  blood-thirsty.  The  con- 
struction of  the  nest  is  begun  in  Ohio  as  early  as  the  middle  of  April, 
and  frequently  at  this  time  the  birds  are  sitting  on  the  full  complement 
of  eggs.  The  nesting  season,  however,  is  in  the  month  of  June,  and  a 
second  brood  is  reared  some  weeks  later.  The  full  complement  of 
eggs  is  six.  The  nest  is  built  in  hedges,  scrubby,  isolated  little  trees 
in  cultivated  fields,  thorn  trees  growing  along  streams  or  roadsides; 
thickets  along  railroads  are  favorite  resorts,  and  the  telegraph  wire  is 
their  favorite  perch.  The  nest  is  large,  loose,  and  bulky,  composed  of 
weed-stems,  grasses,  corn-stalks,  rootlets,  paper,  wool,  and  chicken 
feathers  (the  latter  being  the  lining,  it  is  often  very  thick),  the  feathers 
concealing  the  eggs  from  view. 

The  eggs  are  identical  with  those  of  doreak's,  but  average  smaller, 
.97  X  .73.  Eleven  eggs  measure,  .91  x  .72,  .92  x  .70,  .92  x  .73,  .95  x  .76, 
.98  X  .79,  i.oo  X  .78,  .99  X  .77,  1.02  X  .80,  i.oo  X  .82,  .96  X  .79,  .98  X  .72. 

622ff.    Lanius  ludovicianus  excubitorides    (Swains.)    [149a.] 

'White-mmped  Shrike. 

Hab.  Central  region  of  North  America,  from  the  Saskatchewan  country  southward,  over  takie-lands 
of  Mexico;  west  to  Lower  Calirornia,  Arizona,  Nevada,  Utah,  etc.;  eastward  across  the  Plains  to  the  Middle 
and  New  England  States.     Rare  or  local  east  of  the  Alleghanies. 

More  recent  investigations  develop  the  fact  that  this  bird,  once 
described  as  a  western  form,  has  extended  its  range  eastward,  north  of 
that  of  ludovicianus.  It  breeds  nearly  throughout  its  entire  range.  In 
Western  Manitoba,  according  to  Mr.  Thompson,  it  is  abundant  all  over 
from  May  to  September.  Col.  N.  S.  Goss  records  it  as  a  common  sum- 
mer resident  of  Kansas ;  begins  laying  early  in  May.  Mr.  Scott  notes 
it  as  rather  common  throughout  the  year  about  Tucson,  Arizona.  In 
the  Catalinas,  at  an  altitude  of  3700  feet,  he  found  a  nest  of  this  species 
containing  five  eggs  almost  ready  to  hatch,  April  i,  1885.  Breeds  as 
far  north  as  Northern  New  York  and  Northern  New  England.  This  is 
the  common  breeding  fbrm  in  the  northern  portion  of  Ohio,  where  also 
occasionally  well-marked  individuals  of  ludovicianus  are  taken.  Prof. 
Evermann  states  that  until  recently  this  bird  was  a  very  rare  resident 
of  Carroll  county,  Indiana,  becoming  more  common  since  1882.*  This 
bird  builds  a  nest  and  lays  eggs  in  every  particular  like  the  Loggerhead, 
and  its  general  traits  are  the  same.  A  large  series  of  eggs  from  Cuya- 
hoga and  Huron  counties,  Ohio,  do  not  exhibit  any  diflference  whatever. 

*  *    Lanius  ludovicianus  gambeli    Ridgw.    [14^0,  pari.] 

California  Shrike- 

Hab.     Coast  of  California. 

Mr.  A.  M.  Shields  states  that  this  new  variety  of  Shrike  is  well 


*  Birdi  of  Carroll  county,  Indiana.     By  Barton  W.  Evermann:    The  Auk,  Vol.  V,  344-351;  VI,  22-30. 


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NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


345 


known  in  Los  Angeles  county,  from  its  frequent  appearance  in  the 
orchards  and  gardens,  and  from  its  favorite  pastime  of  pulling  oft" 
the  heads  of  canaries,  wherever  a  cage  is  hung  in  the  open  air.  My 
friend,  Mr.  Arnold  Boyle,  states  that  in  the  region  about  Banning, 
California,  this  bird  feeds  largely  on  lizards,  which  it  often  impales  on 
thorns  and  leaves  them  stick*  .g  there.  The  nest  is  usually  built  in 
some  scrubby  tree  —  this  being  like  the  structure  made  by  ludovicianus 
or  excubitorides. 

Five  sets  of  eggs  in  my  cabinet,  from  Banning,  San  Gorgonia 
Pass,  California,  do  not  differ  at  all  from  those  of  the  Loggerhead 
and  White-rumped  Shrikes.  They  exhibit  the  same  variations  in  size 
and  coloration. 

[623.]    Vireo  altiloquus  barbatulus    (Cab.)    [137] 

Blaok-Turhlikered  Vlreo. 

Hab.     Cubu,  Bahamas,  and  casually  to  Southern  Florida. 

This  bird,  which  is  common  to  Cuba  and  the  Bahamas,  is  entitled 
to  a  place  in  our  avifauna  on  account  of  its  occasional  occurrence  in 
Southern  Florida;  it  has  several  times  been  taken  in  the  region  of 
Charlotte  Harbor.  From  the  supposed  resemblance  of  its  notes,  it  is 
called  Whip-tom-kelly.  The  bird  looks  very  much  like  the  Red-eyed 
Vireo,  but  has  a  longer  bill  and  other  characters  which  distinguish 
it.  Like  other  Vireos,  the  Long-billed  Greeulet  builds  a  beautiful, 
pensile,  cup-like  nest,  which  is  attached  by  the  brim  and  suspended 
from  forked  twigs  in  trees  and  bushes,  ranging  in  height  from  five  to 
twenty  feet.  The  materials  used  in  its  construction  are  dry  grasses, 
shreds  of  bark,  cotton,  lichens,  and  spider's  web ;  the  lining  being 
soft,  cotton-like  fibres.  The  walls  of  the  structure  are  not  only  very 
thick  but  neatly  and  firmly  interwoven. 

The  eggs  are  three  or  four  in  number,  white,  with  a  pinkish  hue, 
speckled  and  spotted,  chiefly  at  the  larger  end,  with  reddish-brown. 
The  average  size  is  .78  x  .55. 

624.    Vireo  olivacens    (Linn.)    [135.] 

Red-eyed  Vlreo. 

Hab.  Eastern  North  America,  as  far  north  a.s  Hudson  Bay,  etc.;  west  to  the  Rocky  Mountain 
region;  south  in  winter  through  Eastern  Mexico  and  Central  America  to  Northern  South  America. 

The  Red-eyed  Greenlet  is  a  common  species  in  Eastern  United 
States,  where  it  breeds  abundantly  in  the  months  of  May  and  June. 
It  frequents  woodland  and  is  especially  fond  of  sycamore  groves  along 
streams.  A  tireless,  joyful  songster,  singing  throughout  the  day  nearly 
all  summer  long.  Its  voice  is  often  the  only  .sound  heard  in  thr  woods 
in  sultry  summer  days.  Compared  with  the  song  of  the  Warbling  Vireo, 
it  is  shorter,  louder,  and  more  vigorous.     The  nest  of  this  species  is 


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NESTS  AND  EGGS  OP 


built  in  the  horizontal  branches  of  trees,  usually  from  five  to  twenty- 
five  feet  above  the  ground,  sometimes  much  higher.  Like  other 
nests  of  the  birds  of  this  family,  it  is  pensile  —  a  beautiful  little  well 
woven,  pendulous  cup,  its  rim  being  attached  to  a  horizontal  fork  of  a 
branch  in  the  thick  foliage.  It  is  made  of  vegetable  fibres,  strips  of 
pliable  bark,  etc.,  lined  with  fine,  round  grasses,  sometimes  mingled 
with  horse  hairs  and  bits  of  newspapers.  On  two  occasions  I  have 
found  the  nest  containing  two  or  three  eggs  before  the  frame-work  was 
nearly  completed  —  in  fact  the  nests  in  both  cases  were  not  ready  for 
the  reception  of  the  eggs,  and  were  finally  completed  by  the  female 
with  material  carried  by  the  male  bird. 

Three  or  four  eggs  are  generally  laid,  rarely  five,  pure  white, 
sparsely  sprinkled  with  fine,  dark  reddish-brown  dots,  chiefly  at  the 
larger  end.  Ten  eggs  measure  .82  x  .56,  .80  x  .56,  .82  x  .58,  .84  x  .59, 
.85  X  .58,  .87  x  .54,  .87  X  .56,  .85  X  .53,  .86  X  .53,  .88  X  .54.  The  average 
size  of  these  ten  specimens  is  .85  x  .56. 

626.  Vireo  pWladelphicns    (Cass.)    [138.] 

Philadelphia  Vlreo. 

Hab.  Eastern  portion  of  North  America,  north  to  Hudson  Bay;  south  in  Winter  to  Guatemala 
and  Costa  Rica,  etc. 

This  is  apparently  not  a  very  common  bird,  wherever  found  in 
Eastern  United  States.  From  its  close  resemblance  to  the  Warbling 
Vireo,  the  bird  is  doubtless  often  confounded  with  that  species.  In 
portions  of  the  Mississippi  Valley  it  appears  to  be  more  common  than 
in  the  Eastern  States,  occurring  regularly  and  in  considerable  numbers 
during  the  spring  and  fall  migrations.  In  Ohio  it  is  not  a  very  com- 
mon spring  and  fall  migrant  in  May  and  September. 

From  the  best  information  at  hand,  the  Philadelphia  or  Brotherly- 
love  Vireo  breeds  chiefly  north  of  the  United  States.  Mr.  Ernest  E. 
Thompson  found  a  nest  of  this  species  containing  four  eggs  near  Duck 
Mountain,  Manitoba,  June  9,  1884.  These  were  probably  the  first  au- 
thentic eggs  of  this  species  on  record.  The  nest  was  hung  from  a  forked 
twig,  about  eight  feet  from  the  ground,  in  a  willow  which  was  scant  of 
foliage,  as  it  grew  in  the  shade  of  a  poplar  grove.  The  nest  was  pen- 
sile, as  usual  with  the  genus,  formed  of  grass  and  birch  bark.  The 
eggs  presented  no  obvious  difference  from  those  of  the  Red-eyed  Vireo. 
The  eggs  were  accidentally  destroyed  before  they  were  measured.* 

627.  Vireo  gilvns    (Vieill.)    [139,  1390.] 

WarUlns  Vlreo. 

Hab.    North  America  in  general,  from  the  Far  Countries;  south  in  winter  to  Mexico. 

The  Warbling  Vireo,  in  its  two  forms,  inhabits  North  America  in 


«Auk,  11,806-906. 


I 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


34^ 


general  and  is  abundant.  The  form,  V.  g.  swainsoni^  which  is  described 
as  the  smaller,  with  slenderer  bill,  etc.,  occurs  in  Western  United  States. 
Every  collector  is  doubtless  familiar  with  the  incessant,  mellow  warb- 
lings  of  this  Greenlet,  as  it  rambles  through  the  foliage  of  trees  in  open 
woodland,  in  parks,  and  in  those  along  the  banks  of  streams.  In  these 
places  it  diligently  searches  the  under  sides  of  leaves  and  branches  for 
insect  life,  "  in  that  near-sighted  way  peculiar  to  the  tribe."  It  is  one 
of  the  most  stoical  of  birds,  and  seems  never  surprised  at  anything; 
even  at  the  loud  report  of  a  gun,  with  the  shot  rattling  about  it  in  the 
branches,  and,  if  uninjured,  it  will  stand  for  a  moment  unconcerned,  or 
move  along,  peering  on  every  side  amongst  the  foliage,  warbling  its 
tender,  liquid  strains. 

The  nest  of  this  species  is  like  that  of  the  Red-eyed  Vireo  —  a 
strong,  durable,  basket-like  fabric,  made  of  bark  strips,  and  fine  grasses 
on  the  inside.  It  is  suspended  by  the  brim  in  slender,  horizontal  forks 
of  branches,  usually  at  a  greater  height  than  the  nest  of  the  Red-eye. 
The  nesting  time  is  in  May  and  June. 

The  eggs  are  spotted,  frequently  blotched  at  the  larger  end  with 
brown  and  reddish-brown  on  a  clear  white  ground  —  sometimes  over 
the  surface  will  be  found  small  specks  of  reddish-brown.  The  comple- 
ment of  eggs  is  three  or  four;  size,  .70  to  .']']  in  length  by  about  .55  in 
breadth.  Seven  eggs,  taken  in  Ohio,  measure  .70  x  .51,  .73  x  .50,  .74  x 
•53»  75  X  .52,  .72  X  .55,  .74  x  .55,  .']']  X  .53;  four  from  California,  .72  x 
.50,  .72  X  .53,  .70  X  .53,  .73  X  .51. 

628.    Vireo  flayifrons    Vieill.    [140.] 

Tellow-throated  Vireo. 

Hab.    Eastern  United  States,  west  to  the  Great  Plains;  south  in  winter  to  Costa  Rica. 

The  Yellow-throated  Greenlet  is  common  in  the  woodlands  of 
Eastern  United  States.  Mc,  Mcllwraith  gives  it  as  a  summer  resident 
of  Southern  Ontario,  but  is  by  no  means  common.  Col.  N.  S.  Goss 
records  it  as  a  quite  common  summer  resident  of  Kansas;  begins 
laying  about  the  20th  of  May.  He  states  that  the  bird  inhabits  the 
timber  away  from  settlements.  In  the  Eastern  States  it  is  found  fre- 
quenting and  nesting  in  the  orchards  and  gardens,  as  well  as  in 
wooded  country.  It  is  a  common  summer  resident  in  Ohio,  especially 
the  northern  portion.  It  fr-^uuents  secluded  woods  and  the  banks  of 
ravines  and  streams,  and  appears  to  be  partial  to  oak  forests. 

The  nest  of  this  species  is  pensile,  like  those  of  other  Vireos,  but 
the  architectural  taste  and  skill  displayed  in  its  building  is  perhaps 
superior  to  any  of  the  family.  It  is  composed  of  strips  of  tl^in  bark, 
grasses,  etc.    The  outside  of  the  structure  is  beautifully  adornM^with 


348 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


V* 


lichens,  which  are  held  in  place  by  caterpillar's  silk.  Its  size  is  be- 
tween three  and  three  and  a  half  inches  wide,  and  nearly  as  deep.  It 
is  built  in  the  fork  of  a  horizontal  branch,  from  five  to  fifteen  and 
sometimes  thirty  feet  above  the  ground. 

The  eggs  vary  from  three  to  five  in  number,  four  being  a  common 
set.  They  are  easily  distinguished  from  those  of  the  Redeye  and  Warb- 
ling Greenlets  by  their  roseate  hue,  and  are  generally  more  heavily 
marked,  having  the  same  family  resemblance,  speckled  and  spot- 
ted with  rosy  and  chestnut-brown,  chiefly  at  the  larger  end.  A  set  of 
four,  taken  in  Franklin  county,  Ohio,  June  2,  1885,  measure  .82  x  .60, 
.80  X  61,  .83  X  .58,  .79  X  .58. 

Mr.  Norris  has  three  sets  of  eggs  of  this  species  that  have  a 
decided  pinkish-bnflf  tinge.  One  of  three,  collected  near  Oxford,  Mis- 
sissippi, April  30,  1885,  exhibits  the  following  measurements:  .83  x 
.57,  .75  A  .54,  .76  X  .56.  Another,  of  four  eggs,  from  the  same  locality, 
taken  May  12 ;  their  sizes  are,  .78  x  .58,  .78  x  .58,  .79  x  .58,  .78  x  .59. 
The  third  set  was  taken  by  the  well-known  oologist,  "J.  M.  W."  (C.  L. 
Rawson),  near  Norwich,  Connecticut.  It  consists  of  four  eggs,  and 
their  dimensions  are,  .80  x  .61,  .82  x  .62,  .83  x  .63,  .80  x  .59.  These 
have  the  heaviest  roseate  tinge  of  all. 

« 

629.    Vireo  solitarJus    (Wils.)    [141.] 

Blne-heaiisd  Vlreo. 

Hab.  Eastern  North  America,  north  to  B'ort  Simpson  (on  the  Mackenzie  River)  and  Hudson  Bay; 
south  in  winter  to  Mexico  and  Guatemala. 

The  Blue-headed  or  Solitary  Vireo  breeds  chiefly  north  of  the 
United  States ;  quite  common  in  Manitoba.  It  has  been  found  breed- 
ing in  Connecticut  and  Massachusetts  and  in  some  of  the  Middle 
States.  It  is  probably  a  summer  resident  in  Northern  Ohio.  C.  M. 
Jones  found  it  breeding  near  Eastford,  Connecticut,  in  May  and  June, 
building  the  nests  from  five  to  eight  feet  above  ground,  in  laurel 
bushes  and  hemlock  trees.  Mr.  F.  W.  Andros  records  a  nest  taken  by 
F.  T.  Lincoln,  in  Bristol  county,  Massachusetts,  May  30,  1887. 
The  birds,  according  to  the  above  observers,  are  close  sitters  —  not 
easily  startled  from  the  nest,  frequently  permitting  themselves  to  be 
taken  with  the  huud.  The  nest  of  the  Blue-headed  Vireo  is  similar  in 
construction  to  others  of  the  family  —  a  handsome,  pendant,  cup-like 
fabric,  which  is  suspended  by  the  brim  from  the  forked  twigs  of  a 
horizontal  branch.  The  materials  used  are  strips  of  fibrous  bark, 
leaves,  fine  dry  grass,  plant-down,  the  outside  being  covered  with 
caterpillar's  silk,  and  sometimes  ornamented  with  mosses  and  lichens. 

The  eggs,  which  are  three  or  four  in  number,  resemble  those  of 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


349 


•59. 


some  of  the  larger  Vireos.  Mr.  Norris  has  a  set  of  four  eggs,  which 
was  taken  in  Merrimack  county,  New  Hampshire,  May  29,  1884. 
These  are  white,  with  a  faint  creamy  tinge  ;  they  are  very  much  pointed 
at  the  smaller  ends.  The  markings  are  in  the  form  of  v/reaths  of 
chestnut  specks  around  the  larger  ends.  Sizes,  .81  x  .52,  .79  x  .51.  .80 
X.51,  .80  X  .52. 

829a.    Vireo  solitarius  cassinli    (Xantus.)    [141a.] 

Ca«ain*a  Vire«. 

Hab.    Western  United  State*,  from  the  Rocky  Moual.ains  to  the  Pacific. 

During  the  breeding  season,  which  i«  in  May,  June,  and  July,  this 
bird  is  confined  chiefly  to  the  Pacific  Coast  region.  Mr.  A.  W.  Anthony 
gives  it  as  a  common  summer  resident  of  Washington  county,  Oregon, 
where  it  frequents  the  coniferous  growth,  and  is  often  found  in  the 
alders  and  aspens.  He  states  that  it  is  more  common  than  the 
Warbling  Vireo.  Nests  were  found  in  oaks  and  alders.  About  Fort 
Klamath,  Oregon,  Dr.  Merrell  says  that  the  bird  shows  a  marked 
predilection  for  pines  and  firs,  and  is  also  found,  but  much  less  fre- 
quently, in  aspen  groves,  with  Vireo  gilvus  swainsoni.  The  nests  and 
eggs  of  this  species  resemble  those  ot  the  Warbling  Vireo.  The  eggs 
measure  .80  x  .58  Mr.  Norris  has  a  set  of  three  eggs  of  this  species  in 
his  cabinet  that  was  taken  June  10,  1888,  near  Fort  Klamath,  Oregon. 
They  are  white,  sparsely  speckled  with  burnt  umber ;  sizes,  .77  x  .55, 
.74  x  .55,  .83  x  .60.    The  last  egg  is  abnormally  large. 

629^.    Vireo  solitarius  plumbeus    (Coues.)   141^. 

Plmubeons  Vireo. 

Hab.    Rocky  Mountain  region  of  the  United  States;  south  in  winter  into  Mexico. 

This  sub-species  is  abundant  in  the  Rocky  Mountain  region  of 
the  United  States,  especially  the  southern  portion,  breeding  in  the 
pine  districts  up  to  an  altitude  of  9000  feet.  In  suitable  localities  in 
Colorado  this  Greenlet  is  a  common  summer  resident;  also  in  the 
mountainous  regions  of  New  Mexico  and  Arizona.  Its  nest  is  built 
very  similar  to  that  of  the  Solitary  Vireo,  V.  solitarius^  of  the  Eastern 
States,  but  is  usually  placed  higher,  and  the  eggs  are  indistinguishable. 

*  *.    Vireo  solitarius  alticola    Brewdt.    [141,  part.\ 

Monntain  Solitary  Vireo. 

Hab.    Southern  AUeghanies  (Western  North  Carolina,  etc.). 

According  to  Mr.  William  Brewster,  this  bird  differs  from  soli- 
tarius proper,  in  being  larger,  with  a  stouter  bill,  and  duller,  darker, 
and  more  uniform  coloring  above.  Throughout  the  elevated  plateau 
in  the  southeastern  corner  of  Macon  county,  North  Carolina,  he  found 
this  new  Vireo  to  be  one  of  the  most  abundant  forest  birds,  frequent- 
ing exclusively  open  oak  and  chestnut  woods,  mingling  its  wild,  ring- 


360 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


ing  voice  with  the  rich  music  of  the  equally  numerous  Rose-breasted 
Grosbeaks  and  Scarlet  Tanagers.  On  the  Black  Mountains  it  was 
very  common,  ranging  from  about  4200  feet  to  the  lower  edge  of 
the  balsams  (5000  feet),  and  inhabiting  woods  similar  to  those  just 
described.*  Mr.  Brewster  and  Mr.  R.  B.  Mclvaughlin  both  simul- 
taneously published  accounts  of  the  first  nests  and  eggs  of  this  bird  ever 
taken.f 

The  nest  described  by  Mr.  Brewster  contained  four  perfectly  fresh 
eggs,  and  was  found  by  Mr.  J.  S.  Cairns,  May  27,  1887,  on  Craggy 
Mount,  Buncombe  county,  North  Carolina.  It  was  in  a  chestnut,  ten 
feet  out  from  the  main  trunk  and  about  twenty  feet  above  the  ground. 
The  nest  is  a  substantial  structure,  suspended  after  the  usual  Vireo 
fashion  in  the  forks  of  a  terminal  twig.  In  places  the  rim  is  nearly  an 
inch  in  thickness.  The  exterior  is  beautifully  diversified  with  white 
and  purplish-brown  sheep's  wool,  grayish  lichens,  small  strips  and 
fragments  of  decayed  wood,  and  a  few  spider's  cocoons,  bound  firmly 
to  or  hanging  loosely  from  the  frame-work  proper,  v/hich  is  composed 
of  coarse  grass  stalks  and  strips  of  bark.  The  interior  lining  is  fine 
bleached  grasses,  stems,  and  moss.  Upon  comparing  this  nest  with 
four  New  England  nests  of  V.  solttarius^  Mr.  Brewster  states  that  it  is 
much  larger,  with  thicker  walls  and  more  elaborate  external  decora- 
tions. The  eggs  are  also  larger  and  finer  spotted  than  any  of  the 
series  of  fifteen  eggs  of  solitarius  in  his  collection.  The  eggs  belong- 
ing to  this  nest  measure,  respectively,  .84  x  .49,  .78  x  .58,  .78  x  .58, 
.80  X  .58.  They  are  ovate  to  elongate-ovate  in  shape ;  in  color,  pure 
white,  with  a  few  fine  spots,  and  rather  numerous  minute  dots  of 
brown,  varying  in  tone  from  vandyke  to  seal  brown. 

Mr.  McLaughlin  found  the  Mountain  Solitary  Vireo  breeding  in 
the  vicinity  of  Statesville,  Iredell  county.  North  Carolina,  in  June, 
1888.  He  obtained  two  nests  containing  eggs  on  the  nth  and  15th, 
respectively.  Mr.  McLaughlin's  observations  indicate  that  the  bird  in 
that  region  confines  itself  to  the  pine  woods,  the  s^^mmer  home  of  the 
Pine  Warbler,  Dendroica  vigorsii.  Both  nests  fornd  were  suspended 
from  the  linibs  of  pines  and  were  less  than  a  hundred  yards  apart. 
One  contained  three,  the  other  four  eggs.  The  nests  were  similar  in 
composition  to  that  of  Mr.  Brewster's,  except  that  they  lack  the  sheep's 
wool  on  the  exterior. 

Mr.  NorrJs  has  a  set  of  three  eggs,  taken  May  4,  1888,  in  Bun- 
combe county.  North  Carolina.     These  are  pure  white,  speckled  at  the 

*The  Auk,  III,  pp.  m-112. 

t  In  Ornithologist  and  Oologist,  XIII,  pp,  113-114. 


NORTH  AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


351 


larger  ends  with  seal  brown ;  sizes,  .80  x  .59,  .82  x  .59,  .83  x  .60.  The 
nest  from  which  these  were  taken  was  situated  fifteen  feet  from  the 
ground,  in  an  oak  tree. 


Hab. 


630.    Vireo  atricapillus    Woodh. 

Blaok-oapped  Vireo. 

Mexico,  and  Texas   north  to   Southwestern   Kansas. 


[14a.] 


The  first  authentic  account  of  the  nests  and  eggs  of  this  species  was 
that  given  by  Mr.  Brewster,  from  specimens  collected  in  Comal  county, 
Texas,  in  May,  1878,  by  Mr.  W.  H.  Werner.  Other  Texas  records  of 
this  species  are  those  of  Mr.  Ragsdale  (who  considers  it  a  rare  summer 
visitant  in  Cook  county,  on  the  northern  boundary,)  and  Mr.  William 
Lloyd,  who  notes  it  as  tolerably  common  in  Concho  county  during 
the  fall  migrations,  and  breeds  in  two  localities  in  Tom  Green  county. 
Here  he  found  several  nests,  which  were  always  situated  in  some 
low  tree  at  the  edge  of  thick  shrubbery,  and  at  once  distinguish- 
able from  the  nests  of  Bell's  Vireo  (which  breeds  in  the  same  vicinity), 
in  that  the  latter  is  lined  with  wool,  while  the  Black-cap's  is  not. 
Col.  N.  S.  Goss  gives  the  Black-capped  Vireo  as  a  summer  resident 

Bin  the  gypsum  hills  in  Southwestern  Kansas.  He  found  it  breeding 
plentifully  in  Comanche  count) .  According  to  the  observations  of 
those  who  have  found  this  species  breeding,  it  generally  frequents 
brushwood  and  builds  the  nest  low  down,  about  five  feet  from  the 
ground,  in  elm,  oak,  and  mesquite  trees.  It  is  suspended  from  a 
forked  twig,  after  the  usual  type  of  Vireo  architecture,  is  hemispher- 
ical in  shape,  and  composed  of  broken  fragments  of  bleached  leaves, 
strips  of  bark,  grasses,  catkins,  spider's  or  caterpillar's  silk.  These 
are  all  firmly  interwov^en  and  form  thick  walls,  making  a  nest  that 
belongs  to  the  higher  o'der  of  bird  architecture. 

The  eggs  are  usually  four,  pure  white,  and  measure  .72  x  .52. 
Mr.  Norris  has  three  sets  of  eggs  of  this  species  in  his  cabinet. 
One  set,  containing  four  eggs,  was  collected  June  5,  1886,  in  Comal 
county,  Texas.  The  nest  was  in  a  mesquite  tree,  very  low  down. 
The  eggs  are  pure  white,  entirely  unmarked.  They  measure :  .69  x 
.51,  .69  X  .51,  .68  x  .53,  .71  X  .52.  Another  set,  also  of  four  eggs,  was 
collected  June  18,  1888,  in  the  same  locality,  by  G.  B.  Benners.  The 
nest  was  in  a  Spanish  oak  tree,  three  feet  from  the  ground.  The  eggs 
are  also  pure  white,  entirely  unmarked :  .69  x  .54,  .70  x  .55,  .69  x  .53, 
.70  X  .54.  The  third  set  was  taken  June  5,  1888,  by  Mr.  Benners,  in 
the  same  locality.  The  nest  was  in  a  Spanish  oak,  six  feet  from  the 
ground.    The  set  consists  of  three  eggs  and  two  of  the  Dwarf  Cow- 


I' 


362 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


bird's.    The  Vireo's  eggs  are  pure  white,  unmarked,  and  measure: 
.72  X  .52,  .72  X  .51,  .69  X  .52. 

631.    Vireo  noveboracensis    (Gmel.)    [143.] 

White-eyed  Vireo. 

Hab.  Eaitern  United  States,  west  to  the  Ro  ^;y  Mountain*;  souih  in  winter  thrnugh  Eastern  Mexico 
to  Guatemala;  resident  in  the  Bermudas. 

The  White-eyed  Greenlet  is  a  common  species  in  Eastern  United 
States  as  far  north  as  Maine  and  west  to  Kansas,  and  occasionally 
to  Eastern  Colorado.  Breeds  throughout  most  of  the  Mississippi 
Valley  south  of  Minnesota.  Low  swampy  places,  near  the  edges  of 
woods,  covered  with  briers,  or  the  tangled  thickets  of  blackberry 
bushes  and  wild  vines,  are  its  favorite  nesting  places.  The  nest  is 
usually  a  purse-shaped  structure,  swaying  from  a  forked  twig,  and  is 
rather  large  for  the  size  of  the  bird.  It  is  seldom  placed  more  than 
three  or  four  feet  from  the  ground,  and  is  composed  of  a  mass  of  odd 
and  miscellaneous  materials,  such  as  straws,  bits  of  decayed  wood, 
blades  of  grass,  mosses,  lichens,  and  various  vegetable  substances. 
Wilson  nicknamed  this  bird  "  Politician,"  because  it  frequently  used 
bits  of  newspaper  in  the  construction  of  its  nest. 

The  eggs  are  three  to  five  in  number,  speckled  with  reddish-brown 
and  dark  purple  on  a  clear  white  ground ;  the  average  size  is  .76  x  .56, 
which  is  smaller  than  those  of  V.  Olivaceus. 


632. 


[M4.] 


Vireo  huttoni    Cass 

Hntton's  Vireo. 

Hab.     California,  resident. 

This  Vireo  which  resembles  the  White-eyed  Greenlet  is  found  in 
various  portions  of  California,  where  it  is  resident.  Concerning  its 
nesting  and  eggs  Mr.  William  Cooper  writes  as  follows:  "Hutton's 
Vireo  (Vireo  huttoni)  breeds  in  the  vicinity  of  Santa  Cruz,  though  not 
in  abundance.  Retiring  in  habits,  their  nests  and  eggs  are  rarely 
found.  April  7,  1874,  I  found  a  nest  placed  ten  feet  from  the  gound, 
suspended  from  a  dead  branch  of  a  Negundo,  containing  three  eggs 
incubated  about  five  days.  March  30,  1875,  I  found  another  nest 
placed  eight  feet  from  the  ground,  suspended  from  the  small  twigs  of 
a  Frangula.  The  nest  —  a  neat,  compact  structure,  composed  of  fine 
vegetable  fibres,  bits  of  paper,  and  grasses  covered  on  the  outside 
with  green  and  gray  mosses,  lined  with  fine  grasses  —  measures  3.25 
inches  in  diameter  outside,  1.75  inside ;  depth  2.25  outside,  1.50  inside. 

The  eggs,  four  in  number,  are  white  (a  delicate  blush-color  before 
blown),  marked  with  minute  dots  of  reddish -brown,  more  numerous 
towards  the  larger  end.  They  measure  respectively,  .70  x  .52,  .70X.51, 
.69  x  .51,  .68  X  .52.    Two  other  nests  were  found,  each  containing  four 


vaK^sm^mm 


an 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


363 


eggs.    They  were  placed,  one  iu  a  NegundOy  thirty  feet  high,  the  other 
at  the  extremity  of  an  oak  limb,  twenty-five  feet  from  the  ground."* 

Mr.  Walter  E.  Bryant  notes  a  pair  of  these  Vireos  (observed  by  C. 
W.  Knox)  which  built  in  the  outer  branches  of  a  live  oak,  only  a  few 
feet  above  the  exhaust  pipe  from  a  steam  pump,  where  at  times  they 
were  compelled  to  suspend  work,  owing  to  the  dense  vapor  which 
enveloped  them.     Four  eggs  were  laid  in  this  nest. 

632a.    Vireo  huttoni  Stephens!    Brewst. 


Hab. 


Stephena'a  Vlreo. 

Mexico,  western  portion  of  Texas,  Mew  Mexico,  Arizona  and  Lower  California, 


This  new  race  was  first  described  by  Mr.  William  Brewster,  from 
specimens  collected  by  Mr.  F.  Stephens  in  the  Chiricahau  and  Santa 
Rita  Mountains,  Arizona.  It  is  stated  that  he  also  took  its  nest  and 
eggs  near  Fort  Bayard,  New  Mexico,  in  1876,  but  there  appears  to  be 
no  published  account  ol  them.  Capt.  Charles  E.  Bendire  describes  a 
nest  of  this  bird  containing  three  fresh  eggs,  taken  by  Lieut.  Benson  on 
June  21,  1887,  near  Fort  Huachuca,  Arizona,  which  are  now  in  the  Na- 
tional Museum,  f  The  nest  was  attached  to  the  fork  of  a  small  twig  of 
some  species  of  buttouwood,  growing  in  a  canon  of  the  Huachuca  Moun- 
tains, and  was  well  concealed.  It  is  very  peculiar  looking,  being 
outwardly  exclusively  composed  of  a  yellowish-buff  plant  down,  with 
similarly  coloied  grass-tops  incorporated,  giving  the  nest  a  uniform  light 
color,  not  unlike  a  very  fine  cup-shaped  sponge.  It  is  lined  with  the  ex- 
treme tops  of  grasses,  also  of  a  golden  tint,  and  measures  externally  two 
and  three-fourth  inches  in  width  by  two  and  one-half  inches  in  depth. 
The  inner  diameter  is  two  inches  by  one  and  three-fourth  inches.  The 
three  eggs  are  ovate  in  shape,  pure  white  in  color,  with  little  gloss, 
sparsely  spotted  about  the  larger  end,  with  fine  dots  of  dark  umber- 
brown  and  brownish-red;  sizes  .72X.53,  .70X.52,  .69X.52. 

633.    Vireo  bellli   Aud.    [145.] 

BeU'8  Vireo. 

Hab.  Middle  districts  of  the  United  States,  from  Illinois  and  Iowa  west  to  the  eastern  slope  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains,  south  in  winter  to  SouthAn  Mexico. 

Bell's  Vireo  is  a  common  bird  in  the  interior  districts  of  United 
States,  as  far  west  as  the  Rocky  Mountains.  It  breeds  in  a  great  portion 
of  the  Mississippi  Valley,  from  Dakota  and  Minnesota  southward. 
Messrs.  Keyes  and  Williams  give  it  as  a  common  summer  resident  of 
Iowa,  where  it  is  perhaps  the  most  familiar  bird  of  its  genus.  Here, 
Mr.  L.  Jones  informs  me,  it  frequents  the  brush  fringing  the  woods  or 
roadsides,  where  it  attaches  its  nest  to  the  twigs  of  the  hazel  bush. 

^BuU.  Nutt.  Ornith.  Club,  III,  p.  68. 

t  Notes  on  a  Collection  of  Birds'  Nests  and  Eggs  from  Southern  Arizona  Territory,  By  Capt. 
Charles  E.  Bendire,  U.  S.  A.    Proceedings  of  the  National  Museum,  1887,  pp.  66&-567. 

24 


w 


3fi4 


NESTS  AND   EGGS  OF 


The  height  of  the  breeding  season  is  about  the  first  week  of  June. 
The  bird  is  an  abundant  summer  resident  from  Kansas  to  Southeastern 
Texas.  In  Kansas  it  begins  laying  the  last  of  May.  Mr.  Edwin  C. 
Davis  states  that  the  favorite  nesting  places  of  this  species  in  Northern 
Texas  are  well  shaded  orchards  and  the  north  side  of  osage-orange 
hedges.  The  nest  seems  to  be  the  favorite  receptacle  for  the  eggs  of 
the  Cowbird,  and  rarely  is  a  nest  found  without  one  or  more  eggs  of 
this  parasite.  Mr.  Davis  observes  that  he  has  never  found  a  young 
Cowbird  in  the  Vireo's  nest,  which  suggests  the  probability  that  the 
eggs  are  disposed  of  by  the  parent  birds  in  some  manner.  The  nest  is 
a  neat,  cup-shaped  structure,  suspended  by  the  brim  in  slender,  forked 
twigs  of  a  bush  or  small  tree.  It  is  compact  and  smooth,  made  of  fine 
bark  strips  and  strong,  flax-like  fibres  of  different  plants,  lined  with 
fine  grasses,  feathers  and  down,  rootlets  and  hair. 

The  usual  number  of  eggs  is  four.  According  to  Mr.  William 
Lloyd,  this  species  rears  two  broods  in  a  season  in  Western  Texas,  nest- 
ing from  May  i  to  July  3,  and  the  average  clutch  of  eggs  is  six.  He 
has  taken  sets  of  five,  six,  and  two  of  eight  eggs  each.  They  are  white, 
sparingly  dotted  with  dark  umber-brown  around  the  larger  end.  Six 
£ggs  measure  .69X.50,  ./ox. 50,  .70X.50,  .72X.51,  .73X.50,  .68X.47. 

633a.    Vireo  bellii  puslllus    (Coues)    [146.] 

Iieast  Vireoi 

Hab.     Southern  and  Central  California,  Lower  California  and  Arizona. 

This  bird  occurs  in  Arizona,  chiefly  its  lower  portion,  and  Califor- 
■nia,  from  Sacramento  to  Cape  St.  lyucas.  Its  habits  correspond  closely 
with  those  of  Bell's  Vireo.  Mr.  Scott  found  it  common  in  the  Catalina 
Mountains  of  Arizona,  arriving  about  the  25th  of  March,  and  are  ap- 
parently mated  at  that  time,  as  they  proceed  to  build  nests  and  lay  eggs, 
the  latter  commonly  three  in  number.  Nests  from  Arizona  are  de- 
scribed as  substantially  like  those  of  the  former  species. 

The  eggs  measure  about  .69X.48,  and  are  of  crystalline  whiteness, 

speckled  with  red  and  reddish-brown,  the  markings  being  very  minute 

and  scarcely  discernible  in  some  cases,  in    others  larger  and  more 

distinct. 

634.    Vireo  vicinior    Coues.     [i47-] 

Gray  Vireo. 

Hab.    Northwestern  Mexico,  Western  Texas,  New  Mexico,  Arizona  and  Southern  California. 

A  very  limited  number  of  specie. \ens  of  the  Arizona  or  Gray 
Vireo  had  been  procured  since  its  discovery  and  description  by  Dr. 
Coues  in  1866,  and  the  species  was  considered  rare  until  Mr.  W.  E.  D. 
Scott,  in  1884,  found  it  to  be  fairly  abundant  on  the  mesas  and  foot- 
hills of  the  San  Pedro  slope  of  the  Santa  Catalina  Mountains,  in  Pinal 


^'M^J^mmm 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


366 


county,  Arizona.  The  limits  of  its  distribution  while  breeding,  were 
between  the  altitudes  of  2800  and  4000  feet,  and  the  locality  where  it 
was  found  most  abundant  is  where  the  mesquites  terminate  and  the 
oaks  begin.  The  smooth,  flat  mesas,  and  the  broJad,  open  bottoms  of 
the  wilder  canon  are  quite  as  much  frequented  by  it  as  the  rough  and 
broken  hillsides.  The  bird  is  exceedingly  active,  rapidly  searching 
the  limbs  of  trees  and  bushes  f  food,  constantly  uttering  its  clear 
liquid  song.  It  is  rarely  found  higher  up  than  fifteen  feet  in  trees  and 
bushes.  Two  young  males  which  had  just  left  the  nest  were  taken  by 
Mr.  Scott  on  May  26,  and  a  nest  was  discovered  the  same  day  and 
others  were  found  at  different  dates  till  June  11.  They  were  built  in 
mesquites  and  thorn  bushes  ranging  from  four  to  seven  feet  from  the 
ground.  One  was  attached  at  the  rim  for  almost  the  entire  circum- 
ference, very  much  like  a  Red-eyed  Vireo's  nest,  but  here  the  re- 
semblance ceases,  for  it  is  not  fastened  to  the  many  small  twigs,  on 
which  it  rests,  that  pass  diagonally  downward,  so. that  it  is  not  even  a 
semi-pensile  structure.  Others  were  found  situated  in  upright  V 
shaped  forks,  with  the  rims  partially  attached  to  small  twigs  and  the 
bottom  resting  in  the  crotch — a  Vireo's  nest  resting  in  a  crotch  and  in 
no  degree  pensile.  The  materials  used  in  the  composition  were  coarse 
dry  grasses  and  shreds  of  bark  externally,  while  the  inner  portion  is 
composed  of  fine,  dry  grasses  arranged  in  concentric  layers.  The 
nests  found  by  Mr.  Scott  contained  three  and  four  eggs  each  respect- 
ively. The  one  discovered  on  May  26  did  not  contain  any  eggs  until 
the  30th.  This  habit  of  sitting  on  a  finished  nest  for  a  considerable 
time  before  any  eggs  are  laid  he  found  to  be  characteristic  of  the 
Arizona  Jay,  Aphelocoma  sieberii  arizonce^  (see  pages  262-263  of  this 
work).  The  eggs  are  rather  rounded  in  their  general  shape,  rosy  when 
fresh,  dead  white  when  blown,  and  rather  sparsely  spotted  with  reddish 
and  umber-brown  spots,  some  chiefly  at  the  larger  end.  Mr.  Scott 
gives  the  sizes  of  three  eggs  from  a  set  of  four  as  ,']']  x  .59,  .78  x  .58, 
•75  ^  -S?)  respectively;  another  of  three,  .72  x  .53,  .70  x  .55,  .68  x  .53.  * 


\v 


635.    Certhiola  bahaineiisis    Reich    [159.] 

Bahama  Honey  Creeper. 

Hab,    Bahamas,  Florida  Keys  and  adjacent  coast  of  Southern  Florida. 

This  little  bird  as  its  name  indicates  belongs  to  the  Bahamas.  It 
occurs  in  the  Florida  Keys  and  strays  to  the  adjacent  portions  of  the 
southern  coast  of  Florida  as  far  north  as  Charlotte  Harbor.  In  the 
Bahamas  it  nests  in  April,  May  and  June.     It  builds  in  small  trees  or 

■^  For  a  detailed  account  of  the  habits,  nests  and  eggs  of  this  species  see  Mr.  Scott's  article:  Breed> 
ing  Habits  of  some  Arizona  Birds,  in  The  Auk,  II,  pp.  321-326. 


866 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OP 


bushes,  constructing  a  globular  shaped  nest  with  an  entrance  in  one 
side.  The  structure  is  very  large  for  so  small  a  bird.  Exteriorally  it  is 
built  of  weed  stems,  dry  grasses,  and  lined  with  finer  and  softer  vege- 
table fibres.  The  eggs  are  two  to  four  in  number,  commonly  four,  are 
white,  finely  speckled  with  reddish-brown,  chiefly  at  v  ■  larger  end ; 
average  size  .60  x  .50. 

636.  Mniotllta  varia    (Linn.)    [74,74a.] 

Black  and  White  Warbler. 

Hab.  Eaitern  North  America,  north  to  Fort  Simpson,  west  to  the  Great  Plains;  in  winter  Gulf  States, 
West  Indies,  Central  America  and  Northern  South  America, 

The  little  Black-and-white  Creeping  Warbler,  which  climbs  around 
the  trunks  of  trees  and  among  their  branches  in  the  manner  of  a  true 
Creeper,  breeds  throughout  its  range,  and  winters  from  the  southern 
border  of  the  United  States  southward. 

Nests  usually  in  the  latter  part  of  May  and  in  June,  constructing  a 
neat,  compact  domicile  of  leaves,  bark-strips,  grasses,  with  a  lining  of 
hairs  and  hair-like  roots.  The  nest  is  built  on  the  ground  in  woods, 
usually  imbedded  in  a  depression,  and  buil^"  on  a  foundation  of  decayed 
wood  or  leaves.  It  is  generally  placed  under  the  shelter  of  weeds,  by 
the  side  of  a  stump,  fallen  log,  or  under  a  projecting  stone  on  a  hillside. 

The  eggs  are  usually  five  in  number.  A  series  of  ten  sets  in  Mr. 
Norris'  cabinet  exhibit  considerable  variation  in  size  and  markings, 
yet  on  the  whole  the  eggs  have  an  individuality  of  their  own  which 
enables  one  to  distinguish  them  from  the  eggs  of  any  other  Warbler. 
The  typical  egg  of  this  species  is  white  or  creamy-white,  speckled 
and  spotted  with  chestnut  and  hazel,  generally  in  the  form  of  a  wreath 
around  the  larger  end,  although  the  rest  of  the  surface  is  not  unspot- 
ted. A  typical  set  measures  .65X.51,  .63 x  .51,  .60X.50,  .65X.49,  .64 x 
.50;  the  average  is  .65X.55. 

637.  Protonotaria  citrea    (Bodd.)    [75.] 

Prothonotary  Warbler. 

Hab.  Mississippi  Valley  and  Gulf  States  north  regularly  as  far  as  Iowa,  Illinois,  Indiana,  etc.,  cas- 
ually to  Wisconsin;  rare  or  casual  on  the  Atlantic  Coast,  north  of  Georgia,  south  in  winter  to  Cuba,  Central 
America  and  Northern  South  America. 

The  vicinity  of  willow  swamps,  the  borders  of  ponds  and  streams 
in  the  bottom  lands  of  the  Mississippi  Valley  and  Gulf  States  is  the 
summer  home  of  the  Golden  Swamp  Warbler.  Messrs.  Keyes  and 
Williams  record  it  as  a  summer  resident  of  Iowa  and  not  uncommon, 
especially  in  the  eastern  part  of  th«  State.  Col.  Goss  gives  it  as  a 
summer  resident  of  Kansas;  common  in  the  eastern  portion.  It  is 
abundant  in  portions  of  Indian  Territory  and  Texas.  Prof.  Evermann 
notes  the  Prothonotary  Warbler  as  a  ra»e  summer  resident  of  Carroll 
county,  Indiana.    It  is  a  summer  resident  in  Western  Ohio,  where  it 


•nwraiWMpiKV«<**»*.K*«<i> 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


367 


has  been  observed  breeding.  Mr. William  Brewster  found  this  species 
to  be  one  of  the  most  abundant  and  characteristic  birds  of  Southern 
Illinois  and  Southwestern  Indiana.  In  his  charming  account*  of  its 
life-history  he  describes  its  song  as  resembling  the  note  of  the  Soli- 
tary Sandpiper,  and  its  alarm  note  that  of  the  Water  Thrush. 

The  typical  nesting-site,  he  states,  was  the  deserted  hole  of  the 
Downy  Woodpecker  or  Carolina  Chickadee.  The  height  varied  from 
two  to  fifteen  feet,  though  the  usual  elevation  was  about  four.  If  the 
cavity  was  old  and  broken  out,  or  otherwise  enlarged,  it  was  far  more 
likely  to  be  chosen  than  a  neater  and  newer  one  close  at  hand.  The 
stump  selected  almost  invariably  stood  in  or  projected  over  water. 
When  the  hole  was  deep  it  was  usually  filled  up  to  within  four  or 
five  inches  of  the  entrance  —  the  material  being  moss,  leaves  and 
cypress  twigs. 

Mr.  O.  C.  Poling  found  this  Warbler  breeding  in  abundance  in  the 
latter  half  of  May,  1887,  in  Western  Illinois,  about  twenty  miles 
above  Quincy,  and  obtained  a  large  series  of  the  eggs.  These  are  four 
to  seven  in  number,  usually  six,  sometimes  five,  rarely  seven.  Their 
shape  is  usually  rounded-oval  of  nearly  equal  size  at  both  ends,  some 
being  nearly  spherical,  others  much  elongated.  The  ground  color  is 
glossy  creamy-white  or  buff,  spotted,  blotched  and  dotted  with  rich 
chestnut  red,  in  some  the  ground  being  almost  obscured  by  the  mark- 
ings. The  sizes  of  a  typical  set  taken  by  Mr.  Poling  are,  .73  x  .55,  .73 
X  -52)  -73  X  .52,  .73  X  .52,  .72  X  .50 ;  another  set  of  six,  taken 
May  21,  .72  X  .57,  .71  X  .56,  .70  x  .58,  .71  x  .54,  .70  x  .59,  .72  x  .58. 
In  a  series  of  sixty-six  sets  in  Mr.  Norris'  cabinet  one  contains  the  un- 
usual number  of  eight  eggs. 


638.    Helinaia  swainsonii    Aud.    [76.] 

Swaindon'a  'Warbler. 

Hab.  Southeastern  portion  of  the  United  States— from  South  Carolina  to  Florida  and  Eastern  Texas-»- 
northward  in  the  Mississippi  Valley  to  Southern  Indiana  (Knox  county),  Jamaica  in  winter. 

Until  recently  this  was  one  of  our  rarest  North  American  birds. 
Its  nests  and  eggs  were  first  described  by  Mr.  William  Brewster  from 
specimens  collected  by  Arthur  T.  Wayne,  near  Charleston,  South  Car- 
olina, June  5  and  6,  1885.  f  Since  that  date  many  nests,  eggs  and  skins 
of  the  bird  have  been  taken  by  various  collectors,  chiefly,  however,  by 
Mr.  Wayne,  T.  D.  Perry  and  George  Noble,  in  the  vicinity  of  Charles- 
ton, South  Carolina,  and  Savannah,  Georgia.  From  these  collectors  I 
gather  that  the  bird  nests  in  wild  shrubbery  of  swamps  or  pools  of  stag- 


«  BuU.  Nutt.  Ornith.  Club,  III,  pp.  163-162. 
t  In  "  Forest  and  Stream,"  July  9, 1885. 


II 


I 


358 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


nant  water,  along  running  streams,  and  on  high,  dry  land  at  a  con- 
siderable distance  from  water. 

The  nests  are  built  in  bushes,  canes,  palmettos,  and  clumps  of 
vines  from  three  to  ten  feet  above  the  ground  or  surface  of  the  water. 
Mr.  Perry  observes  that  the  birds  breed  in  small  colonies ;  two  or  more 
pairs  are  usually  found  nesting  near  one  another.  He  describes 
their  song  as  being  exactly  like  that  of  the  Hooded  Warbler — a  low, 
sweet  call,  consisting  of  a  few  notes.  The  nests  are  all  essentially  the 
same,  being  made  outwardly  of  leaves,  placed  in  layers,  and  lined  with 
pine  needles  and  fine,  fibrous  roots. 

Three,  rarely  four,  eggs  are  laid,  and  their  color  is  a  plain  white, 
■with  a  faint,  bluish  tinge — the  only  eggs  among  our  North  American 
Warbler  which  are  unmarked.  The  eggs  are  deposited  in  May  and 
June.  Mr.  Perry  has  found  nests  containing  eggs  slightly  incu- 
bated as  late  as  July  13.  Two  eggs  taken  May  16,  1885,  measure 
,80  X  .60 ;  two  taken  by  Mr.  Noble,  May  16, 1887,  .78  x  .57,  .77  x  .58.  The 
sizes  of  a  complement  containing  the  smallest  eggs  in  a  series  of  nine 
sets  in  Mr.  Norris'  cabinet  are  .68X.52,  .68X.54,  .69X.54;  a  set  of  the 
largest  eggs  .83X.53,  .84X.53,  .80X.57. 

639.    Helmitherus  vermivorus    (Gmel.)    [77.] 

Worm-eatlug  TVarUer* 

Hab.  Eastern  United  States,  north  to  Connecticut  Valley,  casually  to  Maine:  west  to  Missouri,  Kan- 
sas, and  Indian  TerrUory;  south  in  winter  to  Florida,  Cuba,  Jamaica,  Mexico,  Central  America. 

The  Worm-eating  Warbler  breeds  throughout  its  United  States 
range,  which  extends  as  far  west  as  Kansas  and  Nebraska.  In  some 
sections,  however,  it  is  only  an  occasional  or  a  rare  summer  visitor, while 
in  others  it  breeds  abundantly.  It  has  been  found  breeding  frequently 
in  Southern  C'-nnecticut  and  various  parts  of  Southern  New  England, 
in  New  "Vork  and  Pennsylvania.  This  bird  maybe  seen  scratching  the 
leaves  on  the  ground,  or  rustling  in  the  lea\  es  of  a  fallen  tree  in  search 
of  worms  and  spiders.  Sometimes  while  in  the  higher  branches  its 
actions  are  much  like  those  of  a  Vireo.  In  Ohio  the  Worm-eating 
Warbler  is  a  rare  summer  resident.  It  has  been  found  breeding  abun- 
dantly in  Chester  county,  Pennsylvania,  by  Mr.  Thomas  H.  Jackson 
and  Samuel  B.  Ladd,  in  the  months  of  May,  June,  and  July. 

The  nest  is  usually  built  in  a  depression  of  the  ground  on  a  hill- 
side, beneath  a  bush,  beside  a  fallen  log,  at  the  foot  of  a  sapling  or  tree. 
It  is,  according  to  the  observations  of  Mr.  Ladd  and  Mr.  Jackson,  like- 
wise built  on  level  ground  in  rather  open  places,  with  little  shelter 
from  the  sun.  It  is  composed  outwardly  of  leaves,  and  lined  with  hair- 
like moss ;  sometimes  fine  grass  and  horse  hair  is  part  of  the  lining. 


t»'---«v>=»*-44u«**«« 


NORTH   AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


359 


The  eggs  are  four  to  six  in  number,  usually  five,  and  exhibit  a  great 
variation  in  size,  shape  and  markings,  some  being  faintly  marked  with 
light  reddish  spots,  chiefly  about  the  larger  end,while  others  are  heavily 
blotched  with  lavender  and  rich  chestnut.  The  shape  varies  from 
equal  ended  to  those  that  are  quite  pointed.  A  set  containing  the 
smallest  normal  specimen,  collected  June  30,  in  a  large  series  of  eggs 
described  by  Mr.  Ladd,  offers  the  following  dimensions:  .64X.49,  .64 
X.50,  .65X.48,  .64X.49;  a  set  of  five  taken  June  6,  measure  .71X.57, 
.72  X  .58,  .71  X  .58,  .76  X  .57,  .77  X  .55.  The  last  set  is  now  in  Mr.  Norris' 
cabinet.  Mr.  Ladd  also  found  a  set  of  runt  eggs  of  this  species,  which 
are  smaller  than  those  of  a  Hummingbird,  and  several  nests  were  found 
containing  an  egg  of  the  Cowbird.    The  average  size  is  .68  x  .54. 

640.    Helminthopiiila  bachmani    (Aud.)    [78.] 

Baolixaan's  Warblei?. 

Hab,    Coast  of  South  Atlantic  and  Gulf  States,  from  South  Carolina  to  Louisiana.    Cuba  in  winter. 

An  extremely  rare  bird.  Said  to  nest  in  low  trees.  Eggs  four. 
One  of  a  set  of  four,  taken  April  30,  and  found  in  the  collection  made 
between  the  years  1853  and  1865  by  the  late  Dr.  S.  W.  Wilson  in 
Georgia,  is  described  by  Mr.  H.  B.  Bailey  as  dull  white ;  around  the 
larger  end  is  a  wreath  of  dark  brown,  covering  nearly  one-third  of  the 
egg ;  while  a  few  obscure  spots  of  lilac  are  scattered  over  the  rest  of 
the  surface.  It  has  no  resemblance  to  any  Warbler's  egg,  and  espec- 
ially none  of  any  of  this  genus.  *    Size  about  .74  x  .60 :  Ridgw. 

641.    Helmlnthophlla  pinus    (Linn.)    [79] 

Blne-irlnKed  ^HTarbler. 

Hab,  Eastern  United  States  north  to  Connecticut  and  Southern  New  York,  the  Great  Lakes  and 
Minnesota;  south  in  winter  to  eastern  Mexico,  Guatemala. 

The  Blue-winged  Yellow  Warbler  breeds  throughout  its  United 
States  range,  chiefly  however,  north  of  40°  latitude.  Apparently  it  is 
not  found  in  great  abundance  wherever  observed  during  the  breeding 
season.  Records  are  at  hand  of  its  breeding  in  Southern  Connecticut, 
New  York,  Southeastern  Pennsylvania,  Central  Ohio,  Indiana  and 
Southeastern  Illinois.  Col.  Goss  gives  it  as  a  rare  summer  resident  of 
Kansas.  It  has  probably  been  found  breeding  most  abundantly  in 
Southeastern  Pennsylvania  by  Isaac  S.  ReifT,  The  site  generally 
selected  for  a  breeding  place  in  that  locality  is  a  clump  of  blackberry 
bushes  on  the  edge  of  a  wood,  and  high  ground  a  short  distance  from 
water  seems  to  be  preferable.  Nest  building  begins  as  early  as  May 
10,  and  nests  were  found  containing  young  as  early  as  June  3.  The 
nest  is  built  on  the  ground  in  thickets ;  sometimes  it  is  raised  two  or  three 

♦  Bull.  Nutt.  Ornith.  Club,  VIII,  88. 


360 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


inches  above  the  ground  and  hidden  by  tall  grass  or  a  cluster  of  small  oak 
sprouts  or  vines.  The  materials  used  in  the  construction  of  the  nests 
were  dry  leaves,  strips  of  wild  grape  bark,  becoming  finer  towards 
the  inner  part ;  the  lining  is  of  very  fine  grass. 

The  eggs  are  four  or  five  in  number,  white,  faintly  and  sparsely  speck- 
led with  burnt  umber  and  seal  brown.  A  set  of  five  eggs  in  Mr.  Norris' 
collection,  taken  by  Mr.  Reiff,  May  28,  1887,  in  Bucks  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, exhibits  the  following  measurements :  .70  x  .50,  .69  x  .52,  ,67  x  .51, 
.68  X  .51,  .67  X  .52  ;  another  of  four  taken  in  Montgomery  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, June  16,  1887,  measures  respectively,  .60  x  .51,  .64  x  .52,  .60 
X  .50,  .63  X  .51. 

642.    Helmlnthopliila chrysoptera    (Linn.)    [Si.] 

Oolden-irlnged  \irarbler. 

Hab.  Eastern  United  States  and  British  Provinces;  in  winter  south  to  Cuba,  Eastern  Mexico  and 
Central  America, 

The  breeding  range  of  this  handsome  Warbler  is  about  the  same 
as  that  of  the  last,  but  it  seems  not  to  extend  its  range  so  far  west  in 
the  summer  months.  It  has  been  found  nesting  in  Georgia,  North  and 
South  Carolina,  and  as  far  north  as  Southern  New  England.  Breeds  in 
Minnesota,  Wisconsin  and  Michigan  and  is  a  rather  common  summer 
resident  of  Ohio,  Mr.  O.  C.  Poling  found  the  Blue  Golden-winged  Warbler 
breeding  in  limited  numbers  in  the  bottom  lands  of  Western  Illinois, 
along  the  Mississippi  River.  The  birds  seem  to  prefer  low  land  cov- 
ered with  long  grass  with  here  and  there  a  bush  or  grove  of  trees. 
Swampy  lands  that  skirt  small  woods  are  its  favorite  resorts  in  Central 
Ohio.  The  nest  is  built  on  or  near  the  ground  under  tussocks  of  grass 
or  bushes.  All  the  nests  found  by  Mr.  Poling  were  placed  above  the 
ground.  The  composition  consists  of  leaves,  vegetable  roots,  sedges, 
and  fine  strips  of  bark,  lined  with  fine  grasses  —  on  the  whole  the  sit- 
uation and  style  of  the  nest  is  like  that  of  the  Maryland  Yellow- 
throat. 

The  eggs,  four  to  six  in  number  are  white,  speckled  with  burnt 
umber,  chestnut  and  lilac-gray.  Four  sets  in  Mr.  Norris'  cabinet  ex- 
hibit the  following  sizes :  one  of  four  from  Monroe  county,  Michigan, 
taken  May  17,  1880,  .60  x  .48,  .60  x  .49,  .58  x  .49,  .60  x  .49;  another 
from  the  same  locality  collected  May  21,  1886,  .65  x  .49,  .63  x  .52,  .63 
X  .51,  .63  X  .52;  a  set  of  five  taken  near  Detroit,  Michigan,  May  30, 
1887,  .65X.50,  .64X.49,  .65X.50,  .64X.50,  .64X.49;  the  fourth  from 
Adams  county,  Illinois,  taken  May  27,  consists  of  five  eggs.  These 
measure  .68  x  .54,  .74  x  .51,  .67  x  .54,  .66  x  .52,  .72  x  .51. 


NORTH  AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


643.    Helminthophila  lnoi»    (Cooper.)    [83.] 


361 


Hab.     Valleys  of  the  Colorado  and  Gila  Rivers  in  Arizona  and  Southern  Calirornia,  south  into  Sonora. 

Captain  Bendire  discovered  the  nest  and  eggs  of  this  species  near 
Tucson,  Arizona,  May  19,  1872.  The  nest  was  built  between  the  loose 
bark  and  the  trunk  of  a  dead  tree,  a  few  feet  from  the  ground,  similar 
to  that  of  the  Brown  Creeper.  Mr.  F.  Stephens  found  it  abundant  in 
the  vicinity  of  Tucson  in  1882.  The  birds  frequented  the  willows 
along  the  banks  of  streams,  and  like  the  Kinglets,  spent  much  of  their 
time  in  searching  for  insects  in  the  outer  branches.  Many  nests  and 
eggs  were  examined  after  May  8.  These  were  variable,  the  character- 
istic plaqe  being  like  that  found  by  Captain  Bendire,  but  the  nests 
were  also  built  in  deserted  woodpecker's  excavations,  knot-holes  and 
all  sorts  of  crevices.  A  brood  of  young  was  actually  taken  from  the 
deserted  domicile  of  a  Yellow-headed  Titmouse. 

The  eggs  are  three  or  four  in  number,  white,  usually  sparsely 
speckled  with  brown  and  black,  chiefly  at  the  larger  end.  A  set  of 
four  taken  by  Mr.  Stephens  is  described  by  Mr.  Brewster  as  being  hand- 
somely wreathed  about  the  larger  ends  with  reddish-brown  and  umber 
spots,  a  few  of  which  are  scattered  over  the  general  surface.  Their 
sizes  are  .58  x  .46,  .58  x  46,  .62  x  .46,  .60  x  .47.* 

644.    Helminthophila  virginisB    (Baird.)    [84.] 

Virginia's  "WarMer' 

Hab.  Chiefly  the  Rocky  Mountain  districts,  north  to  Wyoming,  Colorado,  Utah  and  Nevada;  south 
into  Central  Mexico. 

In  some  portions  of  the  Rocky  Mountain  region  this  is  an  abundant 
species,  as  in  Colorado,  Wyoming  and  Utah.  It  frequents  the  shrub- 
bery along  creeks,  where  it  breeds,  A  nest  with  eggs  obtained  by 
Prof.  Ridgway,  near  Salt  Lake,  Utah,  is  described  as  being  embedded 
in  the  deposits  of  dead  or  decaying  leaves,  on  ground  covered  by  dense 
oak-brush.  Its  rim  was  just  even  with  the  surface.  It  was  built  on 
the  side  of  a  narrow  ravine,  at  the  bottom  of  which  was  a  small  stream.  • 
It  consists  of  a  loose  but  intricate  interweaving  of  fine  strips  of  the 
inner  bark  of  the  mountain  mahogany,  fine  stems  of  grasses,  roots, 
and  mosses,  and  is  lined  with  the  same  with  the  addition  of  the  fur 
and  hair  of  the  smaller  animals. 

The  eggs  were  four  in  number,  and  measured  .64  x  .47  of  an  inch. 
They  are  of  a  rounded-ovoid  shape,  have  a  white  ground  with  a 
slightly  roseate  tinge,  and  are  profusely  spotted  with  numerous  small 
blotches  and  dots  of  purplish-brown  and  lilac,  forming  a  crown  around 
the  larger  end. 

•  Bull.  Nutt.  Onith.  Club,  VII,  pp.  83-«4. 


Ih 


362 


NESTS  AND  KGGS  OF 


li 


845.    Helmlnthophila  ruflcapilla    (Wils.)    [85, /or^.] 

NadiTlUe  Warliler. 

Hab.  Eastcru  North  America  to  the  Great  Plains,  north  to  the  Fur  Countries,  south  in  winter  to 
Eastern  Mexico  and  Gnatemala. 

The  Nashville  Warbler  breeds  from  the  Northern  United  States 
northward  to  Hudson  Bay  and  interior  British  America.  Throughout 
New  England  it  is  a  common  summer  resident,  breeding  in  any  suit- 
able locality  in  the  latter  part  of  May  and  in  June.  At  this  season  it 
may  also  be  found  in  Michigan,  Wisconsin,  Northern  Illinois,  etc. 
The  nest  is  placed  on  the  ground  and  is  composed  of  leaves,  bark 
strips,  sometimes  almost  entirely  of  pine  needles,  the  lining  being 
finer  material  of  the  same  with  grasses  and  hair.  Often  the  nest  is 
imbedded  in  the  ground  flush  with  the  surface,  and  it  is  usually  hidden 
under  a  tussock  of  grass.  The  ground  color  of  the  eggs  varies  from 
white  to  creamy- white,  and  pre  speckled  with  minute  dots  over  the 
surface,  but  chiefly  at  the  larger  end  with  reddish-brown,  hazel'and  lilac. 
Six  sets  of  this  bird's  eggs  are  in  Mr.  Norris'  cabinet.  One  of  five, 
taken  by  "J.  M.  W."  (Mr.  C.  h.  Rawson)  near  Preston,  Connecticut,  June 
6,  1882,  are  very  small  for  eggs  of  the  Nashville  Warbler;  they 
measure  .56  x  .45,  .56  x  .46,  .56  x  .46,  .57  x  .46,  .57  x  .47.  A  set  of  three 
collected  near  Hudsou,  Massachusetts,  May  30,  1886,  measures  .65  x  .49, 
.64  X  .49,  .64  X  .50,  respectively.  The  third,  consisting  of  four  eggs,  was 
taken  May  30,  1887,  near  Detroit,  Michigan;  their  sizes  are  .60X.50, 
.61  X  .49,  .62  X  .49,  .62  X  .48.  Three  other  sets  in  the  same  cabinet  show 
a  considerable  variation. 

646.    Helminthopliila  celata    (Sav.)    [86  ] 

Oranse-orovned  WarbleT. 

Hab.  Northern  North  America,  breeding  in  high  latitudes,  as  in  the  Yukon  and  Mackenzie  River 
regions,  southward  into  the  Rocky  Mountains.  Winters  in  the  South  Atlantic  and  Gulf  States  and  eastern 
Mexico,  rare  in  the  Northeastern  States. 

As  mentioned  in  the  above  habitat  the  Orange-crowned  Warbler 
breeds  north  of  the  United  States  Its  nests  and  eggs  were  found  by 
Mr.  Kennicott,  in  the  middle  of  June,  in  the  vicinity  of  Great  Slave 
Lake.  They  were  generally  built  on  the  ground  among  clumps  of 
bushes,  often  in  the  side  of  a  bank,  and  usually  hidden  by  the  dry 
leaves  among  which  they  were  placed.  They  were  large  for  the  size 
of  the  bird,  and  were  composed  almost  entirely  of  long,  coarse  strips  of 
bark,  loosely  interwoven  with  a  few  dry  grasses  and  plant  stems. 
They  were  warmly  lined  with  hair  and  fur  of  small  animals.  The 
bird  was  found  breeding  near  Fort  Resolution  on  the  Yukon,  at  Fort 
Rae,  and  at  Fort  Anderson.  The  eggs  are  white  or  creamy-white, 
finely  speckled,  chiefly  on  the  larger  end,  with  reddish  or  chestnut- 
brown;  average  size  .64  x  .46. 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


363 


646o.    Helminthophila  oelata  Intesoens    (Ridgw.)    [86a.] 

Lvtsaomtt  Warbler. 

Hab.  Pacific  coast  region  north  to  Kadiak,  Alaska,  south  in  winter  to  Lower  California  and  Western 
Mexico  and  eastward  during  the  migrations  to  Colorado,  Arizona,  etc. 

The  Lutescent  Warbler  breeds  in  the  coast  ranges  of  Southern 
California  and  northward  to  Kadiak  Island,  Alaska.  Mr.  W.  O.  Emer- 
son states  that  it  may  be  seen  during  the  entire  year  in  the  vicinity  of 
Haywards,  California,  where  Dr.  J.  G.  Cooper  took  the  first  known 
nest.  Mr.  Emerson  also  informs  me  that  Mr.  A.  M.  Ingersoll  has  col- 
lected large  numbers  of  the  nests  and  eggs  of  this  bird  in  Alameda 
county,  California.  The  nest  is  built  on  the  ground,  often  concealed 
by  tall  grass  or  bushes.  It  is  composed  of  dry  grass,  rootlets,  moss 
and  lined  with  a  few  horse  hairs  and  fine  vegetablr'  fibres. 

The  eggs  range  from  three  to  five  in  number,  and  vary  from 
white  to  dull  creamy-white,  finely  speckled  with  lilac-gray  and  cinna- 
mon-rufous, chiefly  at  the  larger  ends.  A  set  of  four  taken  near  Salem, 
Oregon,  April  14,  1885,  in  Mr.  Norris'  collection  gives  the  following 
measurements:  .61  x  .47,  .61  x  .46,  .59  x  .47,  .60  x  .45;  one  of  three  col- 
lected near  the  Golden  Gate,  California,  June  6,  1885,  .64  x  .49,  .64  x 
.49,  .61  X  .47. 

647.  Helminthophila  peregrina    (Wils.)    [87.] 

Tena«M«e  IVarbler* 

Hab.  Eastern  North  America,  breeding  from  Northern  New  England,  Northern  New  York  and 
Minnesota  northward  into  the  Fur  Countries;  migrating  through  Eastern  United  States,  chiefly  west  of  the 
Alleghanies,  as  far  west  as  the  Rocky  Mountains;  south  through  Mexico  and  Central  America. 

A  nest  of  this  bird  was  taken  by  Prof.  Horsford,  near  Springfield, 
Massachusetts.  It  is  described  by  Dr.  Brewer  as  being  built  in  a  low 
clump  of  bushes,  just  above  the  ground^  and  made  of  fine,  vegetable 
fibres,  grasses,  mosses,  etc.,  lined  with  hair.  The  eggs  were  pear  J  y 
white,  wreathed  about  the  larger  end  with  brown  and  purplish  mark- 
ings; size  .60X.50. 

648.  Gompsothlypis  americana    (Linn.)    [88.] 

Panda  Warbler. 

Hab.  Eastern  United  States  and  Canada;  in  winter  Southern  Florida,  more  Northern  West  Indies, 
Eastern  Mexico  and  Northern  Central  America  (Guatemala). 

Better  known  as  the  Blue-yellow-backed  Warbler.  Breeds  in  suit- 
able localities  throughout  its  United  States  range.  It  has  been  ob- 
served rearing  its  young  in  various  parts  of  Nebraska  and  Illinois,  and 
its  nest  and  eggs  have  been  taken  in  Missouri.  Mr.  Nehrling  saw 
old  birds  feeding  their  young  in  July  and  August  in  Southeastern  Texas, 
and  Col.  Goss  makes  note  of  the  same  fact  occurring  near  Neosho  Falls, 
Kansas,  in  July,  1879.  This  species  is  a  summer  resident  in  Northern 
Ohio,  but  not  common.  It  seems  to  be  more  abundant  during  the 
breeding  season  in  the  States  bordering  the  Atlantic  coast,  especially 


I 


I 


364 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OP 


from  Niw  Jersey  northward.  The  Parula  Warbler  loves  to  make 
its  summer  home  midst  swampy  groves,  whose  trees  and  bushes 
are  draped  in  festoons  of  a  long,  light  green  moss,  with  fine, 
hair-like  filaments — the  pendulous  tree  moss — the  usnea  of  the  bota- 
nists. In  the  bunches  of  this  thread-like  lichen  the  Parula  usually 
makes  its  nest  with  an  entrance  at  one  side.  "J.  M.  W.,"  (Mr.  C.  It. 
Rawson),  who  is  well  acquainted  with  the  habits  of  this  species  in 
New  London  county,  Connecticut,  says  that  the  bird  simply  gathers 
together  the  lower  strands  of  the  usnea,  felting  it  with  the  same  material, 
and  the  nest  is  done.  This  very  accurate  naturalist  and  charming 
writer  also  observes  that  at  first  sight  the  nest  might  indicate  a  greater 
degree  cf  skill  than  the  little  architect  possesses.  Such  is  doubtless 
the  case  with  the  one  represented  in  our  illustration,  which  is  a  faithful 
picture  of  a  specimen  selected  from  five  beautiful  nests,  furnished  by 
Mr.  W.  W.  Worthington,  of  Shelter  Island,  New  York,  where  the  birds 
breed  abundantly. 

The  nests  are  situated  in  low  trees  and  bushes  at  heights  ranging 
from  three  to  forty  feet,  usually  from  six  to  twelve  feet.  Mr.  Worthing- 
ton and  Mr.Griffing  both  found  nests  in  the  moss  attached  to  the  sides  of 
the  trunks  of  large  trees.  Sometimes  one  or  two  horse  hairs  are  woven 
into  the  nest,  and  occasionally  a  piece  of  fine  grass.  In  regions  destitute 
of  tree  moss,  in  which  this  species  can  make  its  nest,  it  frequently  adapts 
itself  to  circumstances  by  nesting  in  the  bunches  of  dead  leaves,  caught 
on  branches  during  freshets.  Dr.  C.  Hart  Merriam  records  a  nest  of 
this  kind  taken  near  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  June  8,  1885.  Mr.  William 
Brewster  makes  note  of  an  unusual  nest  of  the  Parula  Warbler,  which 
was  made  by  the  birds  and  suspended  by  the  upper  edges  to  the  drooping 
boughs  of  a  live  hemlock.  In  general  style  of  construction  it  closely 
resembles  a  wide-mouthed  nest  of  the  Baltimore  Oriole  open  at  the 
top.  It  is  composed  entirely  of  usnea,  closely  woven  or  felted  with 
a  scanty  lining  of  fine  grasses  and  pine  needles.  The  breeding  season 
is  in  May,  June  and"  July. 

The  usual  number  of  eggs  laid  by  this  species  is  four,  sometimes 
five.  Mr.  Rawson  and  Mr.  Worthington  have  both  taken  sets  contain- 
ing seven,  and  one  of  that  number  taken  by  the  former  collector  is  in 
Mr.  Norris'  cabinet,  which  contains  thirty-nine  sets  of  the  eggs  of  this 
species.  The  ground-color  of  the  eggs  is  white  or  creamy-white,  more 
or  less  glossy,  and  speckled  with  reddish-brown,  cinnamon-rufous, 
chestnut,  and  in  some  gray  tintings.  Many  eggs  are  wreathed  near  the 
larger  ends.    Ten  selected  specimens  before  me  offer  the  following  sizes ; 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


366 


.62  X  .42,  .67  X  .46,  .64  X  .46,  .65  X  .47,  .65  X  .45,  .69  X  .48,  .67  X  .47,  .69  X  .43, 
.70x45,  .66x46. 

649.    Gompsothlypis  nigrilora    (Coues)    [89a.] 

Sennett'a  'Warbler- 

Hab.    Valley  of  the  Lower  Rio  Grande  in  Texas. 

This  is  a  common  species  at  various  localities  on  the  Lower  Rio 
Grande  in  Texas.  It  was  observed  by  Dr.  Merrill  to  be  quite  common 
at  Brownsville,  and  also  by  Mr.  George  B.  Sennett  at  Lomita.  Mr. 
Sennett  states  that  it  is  truly  a  bird  of  the  forest,  where  it  delights  to 
flit  about  in  the  upper  branches  of  the  tallest  trees  continuously 
warbling  its  clear  song,  which  is  readily  distinguished  from  that  of  all 
other  birds.  On  May  17  a  nest  containing  one  egg  was  found;  it  was 
made  in  a  gray  misleto-like  orchid,  an  air-plant  very  common  on  the 
Rio  Grande,  which  establishes  itself  on  the  small  branches  of  trees 
and  varies  in  size  up  to  eight  or  ten  inches  in  diameter.  This  one  is 
six  inches  long  by  four  and  one-half  inches  wide,  quite  firm  in  texture, 
and  was  fastened  some  ten  feet  from  the  ground,  to  the  end  of  a  droop- 
ing branch  of  a  brazil  tree  in  open  woodland.  The  nest  is  constructed 
by  simply  parting  the  gray  leaves  of  the  orchid,  and  digging  into  its 
center  from  the  side,  a  cavity  some  two  inches  in  diameter  being  made 
with  an  opening  one  and  one-quarter  inches.  The  bottom  and  sides 
are  lined  with  short  cottony  wood  fibres.  The  birds  evidently  build 
also  in  the  hanging  trusses  of  Spanish  moss  so  abundant  everywhere, 
as  a  nest  was  found  by  Dr.  Merrill,  July,  5,  1877,  in  a  small  bunch  of 
moss  about  eight  feet  from  the  ground. 

The  single  egg  is  described  by  Mr.  Sennett  as  similar  to  that  of 
C.  americana\  its  spots  of  lilac  and  brown  forming  a  broad  incompact 
band  near  the  larger  end,  and  the  entire  surface  is  sparingly  marked 
with  the  same  colors  on  a  dull  white  ground;  size  .67  x  .46. 

650.    Dendroica  tigrina    (Gmel.)    [90.] 

Cape  May  'Warbler. 

Hab.  Eastern  North  America,  north  to  Hudson  Bay,  Lake  Winnipeg,  etc.  Breeds  from  Northern 
New  England  .lorthward,  also  in  Jamaica;  winters  in  Greater  Antilles. 

Not  a  common  bird  wherever  found  in  Eastern  North  America, 
except  in  restricted  areas  during  the  migrations,  when  great  numbers 
are  seen  in  a  day.  Some  years,  in  certain  localities  it  is  more  frequent- 
ly observed  than  at  other  times.  Forests  of  evergreens  are  its  favorite 
resorts.  It  is  known  to  breed  in  Northern  New  England  and  north- 
ward. A  nest  with  eggs  taken  by  James  W.  Banks  near  St.  John, 
N.  B.,_is  described  by  Mr.  Montague  Chamberlain.*  The  nest  was 
hidden  in  a  cluster  of  low  cedars,  growing  in  an  exposed  position  on 

♦  In  The  Auk,  II,  pp  38^. 


1^- 


it 


366 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


i 


i 


a  rather  open  hill-side;  it  was  placed  less  than  three  feet  from  the 
ground,  and  within  six  inches  of  the  tips  of  the  branches  amidst  the 
densest  part  of  the  foliage,  and  well  screened  from  observation.  June 
13  the  nest  was  completed  and  contained  two  eggs,  and  on  the  i6th 
four  eggs.  The  nest  somewhat  resembles  that  of  the  Magnolia 
Warbler,  D.  maculosa^  being  composed  of  minute  twigs  of  dry  spruce, 
grasses,  with  spider's  webs  interwoven.  The  lining  is  composed  en- 
tirely of  horse  hair  laid  with  precision,  and  shaped  into  a  prettily 
formed  cup,  the  brim  being  turned  with  exquisite  grace. 

The  eggs  of  this  species  are  described  as  dull  or  buflfy-white,  or 
grayish,  speckled  or  spotted  round  the  larger  end  with  dark  brown  or 
reddish-brown  and  lilac-gray,  sometimes  a  few  specks  of  blackish  are 
scattered  over  the  greater  part  of  the  surface.  The  ground-color  of 
the  eggs  belonging  to  the  nest  just  described,  is  dull  white  like  that  of 
the  Magnolia's;  their  sizes  .69  x  .49,  .65  x  .49,  .66  x  .49,  .66  x  .48.  The 
average  is  .68  x  .  49. 

652.    Dendroica  sestiva    (Gmel.)    [93.] 

Yellow  Warbler. 

Hab.    North  America  at  large,  south  in  winter  to  Central  America  to  Northern  South  America. 

Known  by  several  names,  such  as  Summer  Warbler,  Summer 
Yellow-bird,  Blue-eyed  Yellow  Warbler  and  Golden  Warbler.  An 
abundant  bird  everywhere  throughout  its  range,  in  woodland,  orchards, 
parks  and  gardens.  Nests  in  fruit  or  shade  trees,  low  shrubbery  and 
brushwood.  Sometimes  the  nest  i^kuilt  at  heights  ranging  from  ten 
to  forty  feet  in  large  trees,  but  their  'f^orite  nesting  places  are  hedges 
and  low  bushes.  The  nest  is  usually  skillfully  fastened  to  several  small 
twigs,  and  is  a  neat,  compact,  cup-shaped  structure,  made  of  grayish, 
hempen  fibres,  slender  stems  of  plants  and  leaves,  lined  with  soft  plant 
down  and  feathers.  The  Cowbird  makes  the  nest  of  this  Warbler  a 
favorite  receptacle  for  depositing  her  egg.  In  United  States  the  Yellow 
Warbler  begins  nest  building  about  the  first  of  May. 

The  eggs  are  four  or  five  in  number.  They  have  a  greenish- 
white  or  even  a  decided  green  ground-Atlor,  spotted,  usually  in  a 
wreath  around  the  larger  end,  with  umbeM)rown,  blackish  and  lilac- 
gray.  They  vary  in  size  from  .62  to  .70  lon|^  by  .48  to  .53  broad.  A 
common  size  is  .67X.47. 

654.    Dendroica  cserulescens    (  Gmel!)    [  94.] 

Blaok-throated  Bine  Warbler. 

Hab.  Eastern  North  America  to  the  Great  Plains;  breeding  from  the  northern  and  more  elevated 
portions  of  Eastern  United  States  northward;  in  winter,  Florida  and  West  Indies, 

In  most  of  the  Eastern  United  States  this  beautiful  Warbler  is 
known  only  as  a  spring  and  fall  migrant.    It  has  been  observed  breeding 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


367 


in  Northern  New  England,  New  York,  and  in  Ontario.  The  Rev.  C. 
M.  Jones  found  it  breeding  at  Eastford,  Connecticut,  in  deep,  swampy 
woods,  which  the  birds  seem  to  make  their  favorite  resorts.  Four  nests 
were  discovered  placed  in  laurel  bushes,  from  five  to  about  eighteen 
inches  above  the  ground.  They  were  composed  of  dry  grape  vine 
bark,  twigs  and  roots,  and  partially  covered  on  the  outside  with  the  woolly 
substance  of  cocoons ;  the  lining  was  of  fine  black  roots  and  hair,  and 
they  contained  four  eggs  respectively.  These  nests  were  found  in  the 
first  half  of  June.  Mr.  William  L.  Kells  found  the  Black-throated 
Blue  Warbler  breeding  in  the  thick  underbrush  of  the  high  timber  land, 
near  Listowel,  Ontario,  in  June,  and  on  the  5th  of  that  month,  1886, 
discovered  a  compactly  built  nest  of  this  species  in  a  small  maple.  On 
the  9th  it  contained  three  eggs  of  the  Warbler  and  one  of  the  Cowbird. 
These  are  now  in  Mr.  Norris'  collection.  Another  nest  found  placed 
in  a  small  leafy  shrub  at  the  edge  of  a  thicket  contained  three  young 
of  Z>.  caeridescens  and  one  young  Cowbird.  Mr.  Egbert  Bagg  and 
Dr.  William  M.  Ralph  found  this  Warbler  nesting  in  swampy  and 
heavily  timbered  woods,  thickly  overgrown  with  brush,  near  Holland 
Patent,  New  York.  Four  nests  were  taken  between  May  29  and  June 
14,  1886 ;  they  were  built  in  the  upright  forks  of  little  maple  bushes, 
from  nine  inches  to  two  feet  above  the  ground. 

The  sizes  of  two  sets  of  four  eggs  each  are  given  as  follows :  .66  x 
50,  .66 X. 51,  .64X.51,  .64X.51;  .75X.54,  .72X.55,  .76X.54,  .72X.52. 
The  eggs  are  buffy-white  or  greenish-white,  more  or  less  heavily 
blotched  with  pinkish-brown,  reddish-brown,  of  varying  shades;  some 
specimens  in  general  shape  and  appearance  resemble  the  eggs  of  the 
American  Redstart,  being  jnarked  with  chestnut  and  hazel,  chiefly  at 
the  larger  ends.  The  sizes  of  Mr.  Norris'  set  are  .64X.49,  .64X.51, 
.64X.51. 

655.    Dendroica  coronata    (Linn.)    [95.] 

Myrtle  Warbler* 

Hab.  Entire  of  North  America,  rare  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  except  on  the  Pacific  coast, 
where  more  or  less  common.  Breeds  from  Northern  United  States  northward.  Winters  from  the  Middle 
States  and  Ohio  Valley  (40°)  southward  to  West  Indies  and  Panama.     Breeds  also  in  Jamaica. 

The  Yellow-crowned  or,  Yellow-rumped  Warbler  is  a  common  and 
well-known  species  in  Eastern  United  States,  breeding  from  the  north- 
ern portions  northward  in  May,  June  and  July.  Breeds  abundantly  in 
the  coniferous  forests  of  Maine,  New  Hampshire  and  Vermont.  In 
Central  and  Northern  Ohio  it  is  a  rather  common  breeder.  Dr.  Howard 
E.  Jones  has  several  times  found  it  nesting  in  Pickaway  county,  and 
has  observed  it  in  the  extreme  southern  portions  of  the  State  in  July. 
In  the  vicinity  of  Listowel,  Ontario,  Mr.  W.  L<.  Kells  met  with  this 


.-ii 


368 


NESTS  AND   EGGS   OF 


species  breeding  in  swampy  woodland,  in  company  with  the  American 
Redstart,  Black-and-White  Warbler,  Chestnut-sided  and  Bay-breasted 
Warblers. 

The  Myrtle  Warbler  spends  most  of  its  time  in  the  higher  branches 
of  trees  searching  for  food,  but  builds  its  nest  down  on  the  lower 
branches,  preferedly  in  pine,  hemlock,  spruce  and  other  coniferous 
trees ;  the  height  of  the  nest  from  the  ground  is  seldom  more  than  eight 
or  ten  feet,  usually  four  or  five.  The  locality  in  which  Mr.  Kells  found 
this  species  breeding  was  woods  of  black  ash,  intermingled  with 
balsams  and  cedars.  The  nest  is  composed  of  soft  vegetable  fibres, 
with  a  few  grass  stems  for  a  lining ;  in  sAne  there  is  a  lining  of  feathers 
when  they  are  obtainable. 

The  eggs  are  four  or  five,  usually  four,  in  number,  and  vary  from 
creamy-white  to  dull  white,  speckled  and  spotted,  and  frequently 
blotched,  generally  in  wreaths  near  the  larger  ends,  with  various  shades 
of  reddish-brown  and  lilac-gray.  The  sizes  of  a  set  containing  the  larg- 
est eggs  in  a  series  in  Mr.  Norris'  collection  are  .70X.54,  .69X.54, 
.72  X  .55  ;  these  were  taken  at  Grand  Manan,  New  Brunswick,  June  24, 
1878.  A  set  of  four  exhibiting  the  smallest  sizes  was  taken  by  Mr. 
William  Brewster  at  Lake  Umbagog,  Maine,  June  11,  1876.  These 
measure  .64X.51,  .64X.49,  .66X.50,  .66X.50,  respectively. 

656.    Dendroica  auduboni    (Towns.)    [96.] 

Andnbon'a  Warbler. 

Hab.  Western  North  America,  east  to  the  eastern  slope  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  north  to  British 
Columbia;  south  in  winter  to  Guatemala.    Accidental  in  Massachusetts. 

Audubon's  Warbler  looks  like  the  last  species  except  that  its  throat 
is  yellow  instead  of  white.  An  abundant  species  in  all  suitable  places 
throughout  the  west.  Mr.  Scott  found  it  nesting  at  Twin  Lakes, 
Colorado,  and  Mr.  D.  H.  Minot  notes  it  as  a  summer  resident  in  the 
region  about  Boulder,  where  the  bird  prefers  high  willow  swamps  and 
spruce  tiuiber.  He  found  nests  June  24,  at  Seven  Lakes.  Mr.  Frank 
M.  Drew  gives  it  as  an  abundant  resident  in  San  Juan  county,  Colorado. 
Dr.  Merrill  states  that  it  breeds  rather  abundantly  tn  the  Big  Horn 
Mountains,  Montana.  Mr.  H.  W.  Henshaw  states  that  Audubon's 
Warbler  breeds  abundantly  throughout  the  pine  woods  of  the  moun- 
tains about  Santa  Fe,  New  Mexico.  Mr.  A.  W.  Anthony  says  that 
a  few  breed  in  the  more  elevated  parts  of  Washington  county,  Oregon. 

The  nests  of  this  species  are  situated  at  various  heights  ranging 
all  the  way  from  three  to  thirty  feet,  and  usually  on  the  outer  branches 
of  pine  or  spruce  trees.  Their  composition  is  fine  strips  of  bark,  grass, 
small  stems  of  the  sage  bush,  pine  needles,  etc.,  lined  with  fine  roots, 
hairs  and  feathers. 


Ct^yrigkl  iaS0. 


PLATE  XI. 


PARULA,  OR  BLUE -YELLOW -BACKED  WARBLER  AND  NEST. 

(Comfttthtyfit  americana.) 

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NORTH    AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


36» 


The  eg^s  are  usually  four  in  number,  sometimes  five.  Some 
specimens  are  somewhat  like  the  common  type  of  the  Yellow  Warbler's, 
being  greenish-white,  marked  chiefly  about  the  crown  with  olive-brown. 
The  ground  color,  however,  varies  from  dull  olivaceous-white  to  pale 
green  or  even  pale  blue,  and  the  markings  are  usually  blackish-brown 
and  lilac-gray ;  average  size  .67  x  .52.  A  set  of  four  eggs  in  Mr.  Norris* 
cabinet  was  taken  in  Larimer  county,  Colorado.  They  measure 
.7ax.56,  .71X.55,  .73X.56,  .77X.55- 

657.    Dendrolca  maculosa    (Gmel.)    [97.] 

Magnolia  Warbler. 

Hab.  Kaitern  North  America  ai  far  went  is  base  of  Koclcy  Moiintaina.  Ureedi  from  northern  part* 
of  New  England,  New  York,  and  Michigan  northward  to  about  Hudson  Bay.  In  winter,  Bahanuu, 
Cuba  and  Central  America. 

An  elegant  little  bird,  and  perhaps  better  known  as  the  lilack-and- 
Yellow  Warbler.  Breeds  commonly  in  Northern  New  England,  New 
Vork,  Michigan  and  northward.  Not  an  abundant  summer  resident  in 
Northeastern  Ohio.  Accounts  of  this  species  nesting  in  New  Hamp- 
shire and  Maine  have  been  given  by  Mr.  William  Brewster,  Ruthven 
Deane,  C.  J.  Maynard  and  others.  It  was  found  breeding  quite  abun- 
dantly on  Grand  Manan  by  Mr.  Charles  H.  Andros.  The  time  of  laying 
for  this  species  is  usually  in  the  first  half  of  June. 

According  to  Mr.  Brewster  it  is  found  everywhere  common  through-i 
out  the  White  Mountains  of  New  Hampshire.*  Its  favorite  resorts  are 
little  clumps  of  fir  and  spruce  shrubs,  also  willow  thickets  near  streams 
and  ponds  and  other  damp  places.  Its  gay  colors  and  sprightly  song  will 
at  once  attract  the  attention  of  even  the  casual  observer.  The  nest  is 
usually  placed  in  the  horizontal  twigs  of  a  fir  or  spruce  at  heights 
ranging  from  five  to  six  feet,  four  being  the  average  elevation,  and 
the  favorite  localities  are  the  edges  of  wood-paths,  clearings  or  roads 
bordered  by  woods.  Sometimes  the  nests  are  built  in  the  tops  of  young 
hemlocks  ten  to  fifteen  feet  up,  or  in  the  heart  of  the  forest,  thirty-five 
feet  above  the  ground.  The  nest  Mr.  Brewster  states  is  loosely  put 
together,  of  fine  twigs,  preferedly  hemlock,  coarse  grasses,  dry  weed- 
stalks;  the  lining  is  fine  black  roots,  closely  resembling  horse  hair. 
In  general  style  it  approaches  more  nearly  the  nest  of  the  Chestnut- 
sided  Warbler.  The  eggs  are  four  in  number,  very  rarely  five.  A 
series  of  forty-three  sets  of  the  eggs  of  this  species  is  in  Mr.  Norris' 
cabinet.  The  ground  color  of  the  specimens  is  usually  creamy-white, 
spotted  and  blotched  with  various  shades  of  reddish-brown,  hazel  and 
chestnut.  The  markings  are  generally  large  and  well  defined  and  often 
form  wreaths  about  the  larger  ends;   again  the  ground-color  of  the 

"  Bull.  Nutt.  Oriiith.  Club,  II,  pp.  1-7. 

25 


m 


!.     ! 


370 


NESTS  AND   EGGS   OF 


eggs  will  be  almost  wholly  obscured  by  innumerable  fine  specks.  The 
sizes  of  two  sets  containing  the  smallest  and  largest  eggs  are  as  follows : 
.56 X  48,  .59  X  48,  .59  X  45,  .56  X  47 ;  .70X  49,  .68  X  .47,  .70  x  .49,  .68  x  .49. 

658.    Dendroica  csBrulea    (Wils.)    [98.] 

Cernlean  'Warbler^ 

Kab.  Eastern  United  States  (west  of  the  Alleghanies)  and  Southern  Canada,  east  to  Central  New 
York;  south  in  winter  to  Cuba  and  Northern  portions  of  South  America, 

A  beautiful  little  sky-blue  feathered  creature,  and  well  named 
Azure  Warbler.  Its  home  is  in  the  top  branches  of  trees  in  sylvian 
groves,  where  it  may  be  seen,  sometimes  in  numbers,  flitting  about  in 
search  of  insect  food,  and  uttering  its  peculiar  syllables  which  sound 
like  zee^  zee^  zee^  ze-ee-eep.  It  is  not  strange  that  the  nest  of  this 
species  has  been  so  seldom  discovered,  even  where  the  bird  is  very 
abundant  during  the  breeding  season.  The  nest  is  built  in  the  higher 
horizontal  branches  of  forest  trees,  always  out  some  distance  from  the 
trunk,  and  ranging  from  twenty  to  fifty  feet  above  the  ground.  The 
Blue  or  Cerulean  Warbler  is  an  abundant  summer  resident  in  Central 
Ohio,  where  it  prefers  damp  woods  for  nesting.  Mr.  J.  A.  Allen 
■describes  a  nest  and  four  eggs  which  were  taken  in  Munroe  county. 
New  York,  Jime  7,  1878.  The  nest  was  placed  in  the  forks  of  a  small 
ash,  about  twenty-five  feet  from  the  ground.  One  taken  near 
Drummondsville,  Ontario,  near  Niagara  Falls,  and  described  by  Dr. 
Brewer,  was  built  in  a  large  oak  tree,  fifty  feet  from  the  ground.  This 
and  another  nest  containing  four  eggs  taken  by  Mr.  Wm.  Bryant  at 
Mount  Carmel,  Illinois,  May  16,  1878,  are  in  the  Museum  of  Compara- 
tive Zoology.  Mr.  Allen  states  that  the  Mount  Carmel  nest  was  also 
placed  at  an  elevation  of  twenty-five  feet.* 

Prof.  Evermann  gives  the  Cerulean  Warbler  as  a  common  sum- 
mer resident  of  Carroll  county,  Indiana. 

Mr.  J.  L.  Davidson  secured  two  nests  of  this  species  with  eggs, 
in  Niagara  county,  New  York,  on  June  8  and  23,  1888.  They  were 
built  in  small  basswood  trees,  about  twenty  feet  above  the  ground. 
On  June  30  another  nest  was  discovered,  but  was  too  high  and 
inaccessible.  Two  broods  were  observed  in  July  in  the  same  woods. 
The  nests  are  compactly  made  of  fine,  dry  grasses,  bound  together 
with  spiders'  silk  to  which  are  attached  pieces  of  whitish  lichen;  the 
lining  is  strips  of  bark  and  fine  grass. 

The  eggs  are  bluish-white  or  greenish-white,  speckled  with  reddish- 
brown  and  lilac,  chiefly  at  the  larger  end,  and  often  in  the  form  of  a 
wreath.  Mr.  Davidson  gives  the  measurements  of  two  specimens  that 
were  saved  out  of  the  first  nest,  as  .70  x  .52,  .71  x  .52.    The  second  nest 

('Bull.  Nutt.  Onith.  Club  IV,  25-27. 


NORTH   AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


371 


contained  three  eggs  of  the  Warbler  and  one  of  the  Cowbird ;  sizes, 
.64  X  .50,  .63  X  .49,  .64  X  .50. 

859.    Dendroica  pensylvanica    (Linn)    [99.] 

Ckestnut-aided  'Warbler. 

Hab.  Eastern  United  States  and  Canada.  Breeds  north  of  40°  except  in  higher  mountain  ranges.  In 
winter,  south  to  Bahamas,  Eastern  Mexico,  and  Central  America  to  Panama. 

This  well-known  Warbler  breeds  abundantly  in  the  Middle  and 
Northern  States  within  its  range.  Mr.  Mcllwraith  gives  it  as  a  com- 
mon resident  of  Ontario,  breeding  in  suitable  places  near  Hamilton 
and  throughout  the  country,  raising  two  broods  in  a  season.  Breeds, 
but  not  commonly,  in  Central  Ohio,  more  abundant  in  the  northern 
portion.     Nests  in  the  latter  part  of  May  and  in  June. 

The  nest  is  commonly  built  in  a  low  bush,  shrub  or  sapling  from 
two  to  eight  feet  above  the  ground.  The  situations  chosen  are  the 
"  scrub-lands  "  or  open  woods  in  low  grounds,  with  a  growth  of  bushes, 
vines,  etc.  The  nest  is  generally  coarser  than  the  Yellow  Warbler's, 
and  contains  fewer  woolly  materials.  It  is  composed  of  narrow  strips 
of  thin  bark  or  dried  grasses,  mixed  with  plant-down,  fine  bleached 
grasses,  and  lined  with  hairs. 

The  eggs  are  four,  rarely  five,  in  number,  and  vary  from  clear- 
white  to  creamy-white  in  ground-color,  speckled  with  rusty-brown  and 
chestnut,  often  tinged  with  lilac-gray,  chiefly  at  the  larger  end,  where 
they  frequently  form  wreaths.  A  set  of  four  offers  the  following  sizes : 
.68X.50,  .65X.47,  .67x,49,  .68X.49;  average  .68X.50.  Eggs  of  the 
Cowbird  are  commonly  found  in  nests  of  this  species. 

660.    Dendroica  castanea    (Wils.)    [100.] 

Bay-breaated  'Warbler. 

Hab.  Eastern  North  America,  Breeds  from  Northern  New  England  and  Northern  Michigan  north- 
ward to  Hudson  Bay;  south  in  winter  through  Eastern  Mexico  and  Central  America, 

The  Bay-breasted  Warbler  is  kmwn  to  breed  from  Northern  Ne^w 
England  and  Northern  Michigan  no/thward.  Mr.  William  L.  Kells 
found  it  breeding  in  the  vicinity  of  Lis  towel,  Ontario,  in  low,  swampy 
woods,  where  there  is  a  mixture  of  evergreens,  ash,  birch,  elm  and  other 
trees. 

The  nests  are  compact,  cup-shaped  structures,  usually  placed 
in  coniferous  trees  from  five  to  fifteen  or  even  twenty  feet 
above  the  ground.  Mr.  Kells  found  a  nest  placed  between  a  slender 
limb  and  the  trunk  of  a  small  cedar  about  five  feet  up ;  another  was 
found  in  a  hemlock  at  an  elevation  of  fourteen  feet.  The  nest  is  com- 
posed of  fine  shreds  of  bark,  small  twigs,  fibrous  roots  and  pine 
hair ;  the  interior  is  a  little  more  than  two  inches  in  diameter  by  one 
in  depth. 


;.:j 


I    f.l 


372 


NESTS   AND   EGGS  OF 


The  eggs  are  deposited  in  the  latter  half  of  May  or  first  half  of 
June.  Four  is  the  usual  number  laid ;  they  are  white,  with  a  bluish 
tinge,  finely  speckled  on  or  round  the  larger  end  with  reddish-brown ; 
average  size  .70X.50. 

681.    Dendrolca  striata    (Forst.)    [101.] 

Black-poll  IVarbler. 

Hab,  Eastern  and  Northern  North  America,  breeding  from  Northern  New  England,  Labrador,  etc., 
to  coast  Alaska  (north  of  the  Alaskan  Peninsula)  and  to  the  Arctic  Ocean;  accidental  in  Greenland.  In 
winter,  south  to  Bahamas,  Cuba  and  Northern  Soutli  A^tri'ja. 

In  the  United  States  the  Black-poll  Warbler  is  known  as  a  spring 
and  fall  migrant,  except  in  Northern  New  England,  where  a  few  pair 
remain  to  breed.  Its  breeding  grounds  are  from  thence  northward  into 
the  Arctic  regions. 

The  nests  are  usually  built  in  the  month  of  June,  and  are  placed 
in  low,  thick  spruce  trees  about  eight  feet  from  the  ground.  They  are 
made  of  small  twigs,  lichens,  slender  rootlets,  sedges,  and  lined  with 
feathers.  Mr.  Norris  has  fifteen  sets  of  the  eggs  of  this  species 
taken  at  Grand  Manan,  N.  B. 

They  show  great  variation  in  size,  shape  and  coloration.  In 
shape  they  vary  from  ovate  to  elongate-ovate,  and  the  ground-color 
varies  from  white  to  creamy  and  buff,  and  occasionally  a  light  shade 
of  greenish-white  is  found.  They  are  speckled,  spotted  and  blotched 
with  various  shades  of  reddish-brown  and  frequently  lilac-gray. 
Occasionally  a  set  shows  such  small  specks  all  over  the  surface  as  to 
almost  obscure  the  ground-color.  The  markings  are  always  much 
heavier  at  the  larger  ends,  but  they  rarely  form  wreaths.  The  eggs  are 
four  or  five  in  number.  The  set  containing  the  smallest  eggs  exhibits 
the  following  sizes:  .70X.52,  .71X.52,  .65X.49,  .68X.49,  .71X.53; 
the  largest  eggs  measure  .80X.50,  .79X.54,  .79X.53,  .78X.54,  .77 x. 54. 

662.    Dendrolca  blackburnisB    (Gmel.)    [102.] 

Blaokbnrnlan  TVarbler. 

Hab.  Eastern  North  America  to  the  Gr.at  Plains,  casually  to  Utah  and  New  Mexico.  Breeds  from 
Northern  United  States  northward.  South  in  winter  to  the  Bahamas,  Central  America  and  Northern  South 
America. 

A  lovely  Warbler,  with  throat  and  chest  of  intense  orange  yellow. 
Breeds  from  the  northern  States  northward,  occurring  as  it  does  in 
most  of  the  United  States  as  a  spring  and  fall  migrant.  Its  nests  and 
eggs  have  been  taken  in  Massachusetts  and  other  more  northern  New 
England  States.  Dr.  C.  Hart  Merriam  found  a  pair  of  these  birds 
breeding  in  a  grove  of  large  white  pines  in  Lewis  county.  New  York. 
In  the  latter  part  of  May  the  female  was  observed  building,  and  on  the 
2d  of  June  the  nest  contained  four  fresh  eggs  of  the  Warbler  and  one 
of  the  Cowbird.     The  nest  was  saddled  on  the  horizontal  limb  about 


'mm 


NORTH  AMERICAN    BIRDS. 


373 


eight  feet  from  the  ground  and  about  ten  feet  from  the  trunk.  Black- 
burn's Warbler  has  been  found  breeding  in  Southern  Michigan,  where 
nests  have  been  taken  in  pine  trees  at  an  elevation  of  forty  feet.  In 
all  cases  the  nests  are  placed  high  in  hemlocks  or  pines,  which  are  the 
bird's  favorite  resorts.  Mr.  J.  W.  Preston  met  with  the  Blackburnian 
Warbler  breeding  in  the  hemlock  and  spruce  regions  of  Northern 
Minnesota.  One  nest  was  found  placed  against  the  trunk  and  upon  a 
small  branch  which  grew  from  the  tree  at  a  height  of  twenty  feet; 
another  was  built  in  the  fork  of  a  horizontal  branch  near  the  end,  five 
feet  from  the  trunk  and  thirty  feet  from  the  ground.  One  nest  con- 
tained two,  the  other  three  eggs,  and  in  each  was  a  Cowbird's  egg. 
From  all  accounts  the  nests  of  this  species  are  elegantly  and  compactly 
made,  consisting  of  a  densely  woven  mass  of  spruce  twigs,  soft  vege- 
table down,  rootlets  and  fine  shreds  of  bark  ;  the  lining  is  often  inter- 
mixed with  horse  hairs  and  feathers. 

The  full  complement  of  eggs  is  four,  and  they  are  described  as 
greenish-white  or  very  pale  bluish-green,  speckled  or  spotted,  chiefly 
around  the  larger  end,  with  brown  or  reddish-brown  and  lilac-gray ; 
average  size  .6g  x  .50.  The  sizes  of  the  set  taken  by  Dr.  Merriam  are 
.69  X  .50,  .70X  .45,  .71  X  .49,  .69  X  .50,  respectively. 

663.    Dendroica  dominica    (Linn)    [103.] 

Yellcw-throated  IVarbler. 

Hab.  South  Atlantic  States  north  along  the  sea  coast  regularly  to  Maryland;  casually  to  New 
York,  Massachusetts,  etc.,  south  ro  the  West  Indies. 

The  Yellow-throated  Warbler  breeds  commonly  in  the  South 
Atlantic  States,  in  some  portions  of  which  it  is  resident  throughout 
the  year.  The  nest  is  placed  on  branches  of  pine  ^^r^es,  usually  at  a 
considerable  elevation.  It  is  also  not  infreqixently  built  in  the  pendu- 
lous tufts  of  Spanish  moss,  which  grows  abundantly  on  the  live  oaks 
and  other  trees.  Mr.  William  Brewster  found  a  nest  of  this  species  in 
Camden  county,  Georgia,  May  2,  which  was  placed  at  a  height  of  thirty- 
five  feet  from  the  ground,  on  the  stout,  liorizontal  branch  of  a  Southern 
pine,  in  a  thinly  scattered  grove.  The  nest  was  set  flatly  on  the  limb — 
not  saddled  to  it — nearly  midway  between  the  juncture  with  the  main 
trunk  and  the  extremity  of  the  twigs,  and  was  attached  to  the  rough 
bark  by  silky  fibres.  It  is  composed  of  short  twigs,  strips  of  bark, 
bound  together  with  Spanish  moss  and  silky  down ;  the  lining  is  soft, 
hair-like  vegetable  down.  Mr.  Arthur  T;  Wayne  obtained  nests  and 
eggs  of  this  Warbler  in  the  mixed  woods  near  Charleston,  South  Car- 
olina. The  nests  were  found  built  in  the  tufts  of  tree  moss,  and  lined 
with  feathers.    The  heights  range  from  thirty  to  about  forty  feet  above 


374 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OP 


the  ground.  Mr.  R.  B.  McLaughlin  found,  on  June  4,  a  nest  of  this 
species  built  close  to  the  main  body  of  a  small  pine  tree,  in  woods  near 
Statesville,  North  Carolina.  The  nest  rested  on  a  short,  dead  twig, 
nineteen  feet  from  the  ground.  It  contained  three  young  birds  and 
one  egg. 

The  eggs  are  three  or  four  in  number,  rarely  five.  They  are  of  a 
dull  greenish  or  grayish-white,  spotted  with  various  shades  of  brown 
and  lavender-gray  almost  entirely  near  the  larger  ends  ;  in  some  spec- 
imens they  form  wreaths  about  the  crown.  This  bird  deposits  its  eggs 
early,  usually  in  the  first  part  of  April.  Mr.  Norris  has  two  sets  taken 
by  Mr.  Wayne,  April  11  and  14,  and  consisting  of  three  aud  four  eggs, 
respectively.    Theymeasure  .65X,5i,  .66X.49,  .60X.49;  .71X.53,  .71X 

53.  -69  X  .53.  -69  X  .53- 

I  can  find  no  authentic  account  of  the  nests  and  eggs  of  the  White- 
browed  Yellow-throated  Warbler,  or  Sycamore  Warbler,  D.  d.  albilora^ 
inhabiting  the  Mississippi  Valley  and  north  to  the  Great  Lakes. 

665.    Dendroica  nigrescens    (Towns.)    [105.] 

Blaok-throated  Gray  Warbler. 

Hab.     Western  United  States,  north  to  Colorado  and  Oregon,  etc.;  south  in  winter  into  Mexico,  etc. 

Mr.  A.  W.  Anthony  gives  this  species  as  a  summer  resident  of 
Washington  county,  Oregon,  where  it  frequents  the  thick  firs.  In  the 
breeding  season  it  is  quite  shy  and  retired,  inhabiting  the  yoimger 
growth  of  firs  and  dense  thickets  of  alder  and  willows. 

The  eggs  are  four  in  number.  The  extensive  cabinet  of  Mr.  J. 
Parker  Norris  contains  a  set  of  four  eggs  of  this  Warbler,  which  was 
taken  in  Polk  county,  Oregon.  The  nest  was  situated  in  a  fir  tree 
twenty  feet  from  the  ground,  and  is  composed  of  fine  grasses,  profusely 
lined  with  feathers.  The  eggs  are  pinkish-white,  spotted  with  cinna- 
mon-rufous and  lilac-gray.  The  markings  are  nearly  all  at  the  larger 
ends.    They  measure  .67  x  .51,  .71  x  .54,  .71  x  .54,  .68  x  .53. 

666.    Dendroica  chrysoparla    Scl.  &  Salv.    [106.] 

Ooldeu-olieaked  Warbler. 

Hab.    Central  Texas  and  southward  to  Guatemala. 

So  far  as  I  am  aware  all  the  nests  and  eggs  of  this  rare  Warbler 
that  are  in  various  cabinets  have  been  collected  in  Comal  county, 
Texas.  Mr.  Wm.  Brewster  describes  specimens  of  its  nests  and  eggs 
taken  by  Mr.  W.  H.  Werner  in  that  region  in  the  month  of  May,  1878.* 
The  birds  were  found  invariably  in  cedar  timber.  Four  nests  were 
discovered,  all  of  which  were  similar  in  construction,  being  built  in 
the  forks  of  perpendicular  limbs  of  the  Juniperus  virginiana^  from  ten 

*  Bull.  Nutt.  Ornith.  Club,  IV,  pp.  77-79. 


mmmm 


NORTH  AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


375 


to  eighteen  feet  from  the  ground.  They  were  composed  of  the  inner 
bark  of  this  tree  interwoven  with  spider  webs,  in  color  resembling  the 
bark  of  the  tree  in  which  they  were  built,  making  them  difficult  to 
detect.  The  interior  is  lined  with  hair  and  feathers.  The  nest  resem- 
bles  the  average  nest  of  the  Black-throated  Green  Warbler,  but  is 
larger.  Mr.  G.  B.  Benners  met  with  this  species  breeding  in  Comal 
county,  Texas,  in  April,  1884.  The  nests  were  placed  in  cedars  from 
five  to  ten  feet  above  the  ground  and  similar  in  materials  and  con- 
struction to  those  found  by  Mr.  Werner,  being  neatly  and  compactly 
built.  The  cavity  of  a  typical  nest  measures  about  1.50  to  1.60  across 
by  1.50  to  2.00  deep. 

The  eggs  are  four,  rarely  five  in  number.  A  series  of  six  sets,  each 
containing  four  eggs,  is  in  Mr.  Norris'  cabinet.  Their  ground-color  is 
creamy-white,  with  a  slight  gloss,  speckled  and  spotted  with  shades  of 
red  and  brown  that  vary  from  cinnamon-rufous  to  burnt  umber.  Some 
eggs  have  specks  of  lilac-gray.  Eggs  in  a  set  containing  the  smallest 
specimens  measure  .61  x  .51,  .64  x  .50,  .62X.51,  .66X.50;  the  largest 
.68  X  .52,  .68  X  .52,  .67  X  .49,  .67  X  .50.  The  measurements  of  three 
eggs  taken  by  Mr.  Werner  are  given  as  .75  x  .57,  .yj  x  .56,  .76  x  .58. 

667.    Dendroica  virens    (Gmel.)    [107.] 

Blaok-throated  Green  Warbler. 

Hab.  Eastern  North  America,  west  to  the  Great  Plains,  breeding  from  Northern  United  States  nortk- 
ward.  In  winter,  south  through  Eastern  Mexico  and  Central  America  to  Panama;  also  to  the  West  Indies. 
Casual  in  Greenland. 

The  Black-throated  Green  Warbler  breeds  from  the  Northern 
United  States  northward — wherever  there  are  tracts  of  coniferous  trees 
the  bird  is  almost  sure  to  be  found  during  the  breeding  season,  which 
is  generally  in  the  latter  part  of  May  or  in  June.  Throughout  the  pine 
regions  of  New  England  it  is  an  abundant  species.  Breeds  in  New 
York,  Michigan,  and  it  is  also  stated  to  breed  in  Northern  Illinois.  A 
few  pairs  are  said  to  remain  during  the  summer  months  in  Northern 
Ohio.  The  nest  of  this  Warbler  is  placed  in  the  fork  of  a  horizontal 
bough  of  a  coniferous  tree,  usually  at  a  considerable  height  —  thirty  to 
fifty  feet,  but  frequently  as  low  down  as  fifteen  or  even  five  feet  above 
the  ground.  Mr.  L.  C.  Holmes,  of  Standish,  Maine,  states  that  all  the 
nests  he  has  found  were  in  low,  scrubby  firs.  The  typical  nest  is  a 
compact,  well-woven  fabric  made  of  thin  bark  strips,  twigs,  dry  grasses, 
wool  and  feathers,  lined  with  hair  and  vegetable  down. 

The  eggs  are  four  in  number,  and  have  a  ground-color  which 
ranges  from  white  to  bufFy  or  creamy-white.  The  markings  are 
specks  and  spots  of  cinnamon-rufous,  chestnut,  and  lilac-gray,  forming 
indistinct  wreaths  about  the  larger  ends.     This  description  is  taken 


(i^      . 


376 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


from  eight  sets  of  the  eggs  in  Mr.  Norris'  cabinet.  The  set  containing 
the  smallest  eggs  was  collected  on  the  Island  of  Grand  Manan,  New 
Brunswick,  June  17,  1887.  They  offer  the  following  measurements: 
.60  X  .49,  .61  X  .49,  .61  X  .49,  .62  X  .49 ;  another,  the  largest  eggs  :  .70  x 
.48,  .71  X  .49,  .69  X  .50,  .71  X  .49. 

668.    Dendroica  townsendi    (Nun.)    [108.] 

Townsend's  Warbler. 

Hub.  Western  North  America  (but  chiefly  near  the  Pacific  coast),  north  to  Sitka,  east  during  the 
migrations  to  the  Rocky  Mountain  region;  south  in  winter  to  Northern  Central  America, 

Townsend's  Warbler  is  well  known  as  a  Pacific  coast  species.  It 
inhabits  the  pine  regions,  nesting  similar  to  D.  virens  in  coniferous 
trees.  The  eggs  are  described  as  buffj'-white,  speckled  and  spotted 
with  reddish-brown,  blackish  and  lilac-gray ;  average  size,  .64  x  .53. 

669.    Dendroica  occidentalis    (Towns.)    [i  >9.] 

Hermit  Warbler. 

Hab.  Western  United  States  chiefly  near  the  Pacific  coast,  east  during  migrations  to  the  Rocky 
Mountains;  south  in  winter  to  Northern  Central  America. 

Two  nests  of  the  Western  Warbler  were  found  by  C.  A.  Allen 
during  the  season  of  1886,  in  Blue  Canon,  California.  The  first  con- 
tained two  eggs  June  4,  and  was  left  for  a  full  set.  Three  days  after 
it  was  found  in  a  dilapidated  condition  and  the  eggs  destroyed,  evident- 
ly the  work  of  squirrels.  The  eggs,  however,  are  described  as  resem- 
bling those  of  the  Yellow  Warbler,  D.  ccstiva^  but  were  more  heavily 
marked.  Another  nest  was  found  June  7,  containing  three  young  birds 
and  one  was  found  seven  or  eight  years  previous  also  containing  three 
young.  These  nests  were  all  similarly  placed  and  well  concealed  in 
"pitch  pines"  from  twenty-five  to  forty  feet  above  the  ground  on  thick, 
scraggy  limbs,  and  very  difficult  to  find.  The  cavity  of  the  nest  taken 
June  7,  1886,  measures  1.25  deep  by  2.50  across;  external  diameter 
4.50  by  2.00  in  depth.  It  was  composed  of  fibrous  stalks  of  plants, 
fine  dead  twigs,  lichens,  a  little  cotton  twine,  and  is  lined  with  soft 
inner  bark  and  hair. 

Captain  Bendire  has  what  he  believes  to  be  a  set  of  the  eggs  of  this 
Warbler  taken  at  Big  Meadows,  Oregon,  on  the  banks  of  the  Des 
Chutes  River  near  its  head  waters,  June  12,  1882.  The  nest  was  placed 
in  the  crotch  of  a  willow  overhanging  the  water,  and  the  parent  was 
shot  but  fell  in  the  water  and  was  carried  away.  The  eggs  are  de- 
scribed as  being  about  the  size  of  those  of  D.  csstiva,  and  resem- 
ble the  eggs  of  D.  blackburnice^  with  the  exception  of  the  ground 
color,  the  green  of  which  is  not  as  preceptible  as  in  the  eggs  of  black- 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


377 


burniev.    They  have  a  faint  grayish-green  ground,  two  of  them  heavily 
spotted  with  lilac  and  dark  umber-brown."^ 

871.    Dendroica  vigorsit    (Aud.)    [m.] 

Pine  'Warbler. 

Hab.  Eastern  United  States,  north  to  Ontario  and  New  Brunswick;  wintering  in  more  Southern 
States  and  Bahamas;    Bermudas. 

The  Pine-creeping  Warbler  breeds  in  various  localities  through- 
out its  United  States  range  and  apparently  only  in  regions  where 
there  are  tracts  of  coniferous  trees.  Its  nest  is  always  placed  on  the 
horizontal  boughs  in  pines  or  cedars,  ranging  all  the  way  from  eight 
to  eighty  feet  above  the  ground,  usually  at  an  elevation  of  from  thirty 
to  forty  feet.  In  the  pine  districts  of  the  States  along  the  Atlantic 
coast  from  the  Carolinas  northward  the  bird  is  a  common  breeder, 
nesting  in  March.  Mr.  R.  B.  McL/aughlin  took  nests  containing  eggs 
in  Iredell  county.  North  Carolina,  March  25.  Mr.  C.  S.  Brimley 
found  the  birds  building  nests  in  Wake  county,  of  the  same  State,  in 
the  latter  part  of  March.  The  nest,  according  to  these  observers,  is 
hard  to  discover,  and  in  most  cases  it  is  found  by  watching  the  birds 
carry  building  material,  which  consists  of  bark-strips,  bits  of  weed  and 
oak  leaves,  caterpillar's  silk,  and  vegetable  sedges.  It  is  compactly 
built  and  warmly  lined  with  horse  hair  and  feathers.  The  eggs  are 
four,  rarely  five  in  number.  Nineteen  sets  of  the  eggs  of  this  Warbler 
are  in  Mr.  Norris'  cabinet,  eighteen  of  which  have  a  ground-color  that 
varies  from  a  dull  whitish  to  gray  or  purplish-white,  and  the  markings 
are  in  the  form  of  spots  and  specks  of  lilac-gray  and  burnt  umber, 
more  dense  near  the  larger  ends,  and  generally  form  wreaths.  The 
nineteenth  set  seems  to  be  of  a  veiy  rare  phase,  being  pinkish-white 
with  brick-red  markings.  Two  sets  give  the  following  respective 
measurements:  .69X.53,  .66X.51,  .67X.51,  .69X.51;  .75X.55,  .75 x 
•55>  -yix.ss,  .76X.55.     The  average  size  is  .70X.52. 

672«.    Dendroica  palmarum  hypochrysea    Ridgw.    [113a.] 

Vellow  Palm  TVarbler. 

Hab.  Atlantic  coast  of  North  America.  Breeds  from  New  Brunswick  and  Nova  Scotia  to  Hudson 
Bay.    Winters  in  the  South  Atlantic  and  Gulf  States. 

There  are  two  forms  of  the  Palm  Warbler,  D.  palmarum  (Gmel.) 
being  the  form  of  the  interior  region  north  in  summer  to  Great  Slave 
Ivake,  migrating  south  through  the  Mississippi  Valley  to  the  Gulf 
States,  Florida,  Bahamas,  etc.,  and  casually  during  migrations  east  of 
the  AUeghanies.  The  present  form,  hypochrysea^  breeds  from  Nova 
Scotia  and  New  Brunswick  northward.  Its  nest  is  placed  on  the 
ground  in  open  situations,  usually  on  the  edge  of  a  swampy  thicket 

*  Cf.  Brewster,  The  Auk,  IV,  pp.  160-  167. 


1^  :•■ 

It-  -a 

ii  t 


378 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OP 


and  it  is  composed  of  weed-stalks,  grasses,  rootlets  and  pine  leaves, 
lined  with  fine  grasses  and  hair.  The  eggs,  usually  four  in  number, 
are  yellowish  or  buflfy-white,  with  a  roseate  tinge,  speckled  with  brown 
and  lilac.     Average  size  .65X  .51. 


673. 


[114.] 


Dendroica  discolor    (Vieill) 

Prairie  Warbler. 

Hab.  Eastern  United  States,  north  to  Michigan  and  Southern  New  England;  south  in  winter  to 
Florida,  Bahamas  and  West  Indies. 

The  Prairie  Warbler  is  a  rather  common  breeding  bird  in  many 
localities  east  of  the  Alleghanies  from  the  latitude  of  Massachusetts 
southward ;  west  of  this  region  it  appears  to  be  rare  during  the  summer 
months.  It  is  known,  however,  to  breed  in  Michigan  and  regularly  (?) 
in  Northern  Ohio,  but  I  have  no  late  authentic  records  to  that  effect 
from  the  latter  region.  Mr.  H.  K.  Jamison  found  the  Prairie  Warbler 
breeding  abundantly  on  the  13th  of  May,  in  a  scrubby  oak  thicket 
in  Fairfax  county,  Virginia.  The  nests  were  placed  from  two  to 
seven  feet  above  the  ground.  Dr.  Cones  found  it  nesting  in  as- 
tonishing numbers  within  a  small  area,  near  Washington,  D.  C,  in 
the  latter  part  of  May.  The  nests  were  only  a  few  feet  from  the 
ground,  and  were  placed  preferably  in  hickory  and  dogwood  bushes. 
Mr.  Worthington  found  it  nesting  in  low  bushes  and  also  in  small  birch 
and  oak  saplings  on  Shelter  Island,  New  York,  in  the  latter  part  of 
May  and  first  half  of  June.  The  nest  is  a  very  pretty,  deeply  cup- 
shaped  fabric,  composed  of  vegetable  fibres  and  fine  grasses,  closely 
felted  and  lined  with  hair. 

Four,  rarely  five,  eggs  are  laid.  Twelve  sets  of  these  eggs  are  in 
Mr.  Norris'  cabinet,  many  of  which  were  taken  by  C.  L.  Rawson,  in 
New  London  county,  Connecticut.  Their  ground-color  appears  white 
until  they  are  compared  with  pure  white  eggs,  when  a  very  faint  tinge 
of  greenish  is  perceptible.  The  markings  are  specks  of  chestnut  and 
burnt-umber,  and  usually  in  the  form  of  wreaths  about  the  larger  end. 
Two  sets  taken,  respectively.  May  31,  1880,  and  June  14,  1888,  near 
Norwich,  Connecticut,  exhibit  the  following  sizes :  .59  x  .47,  .64  x  .48, 
.60  X  .45,  .63  X .  47 ;    .68  X  .50,  .66  x  .50,  .67  x  .47,  .67  x  .47. 

674.    Seiurus  aurocapillus    (Linn.)    [115.] 

Oven-bird. 

Hab.  Eastern  North  America,  breeding  from  about  W  northward,  west  to  eastern  base  of  Roclcy 
Mountains.     In  winter,  south  to  Southern  Florida,  West  Indies  and  Central  America. 

Called  Oven-bird  on  account  of  the  remarkable  nest  which  it 
usually  builds.  This,  in  its  typical  form,  is  roofed  over,  arched  or 
domed,  with  an  entrance  more  or  less  to  one  side  like  the  mouth  of  an 
oven.     It  is  placed  on  the  ground,  or  rather  embedded  in  a  depression 


1  > 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


379 


in  the  earth  amongst  leaves,  at  the  foot  of  a  tree  or  bush  near  a  fallen 
log,  or  under  the  shelter  of  tall  grass  in  woods.  On  the  whole,  it  is 
loosely  constructed  of  skeleton  leaves,  grasses,  strips  of  wild  grape 
vine  bark,  slender  weed  stalks,  with  a  lining  of  finer  grasses  and  often 
horse  hair.  The  bird  is  known  by  other  names,  such  as  Golden-crowned 
Thrush,  Golden-crowned  Wag-tail  Warbler,  and  Golden-crowned 
Accentor.  An  abundant  species  in  the  woods  of  Eastern  North  Amer- 
ica, where  it  is  found  breeding  from  Kansas,  the  Ohio  Valley  and  Vir- 
ginia northward  into  the  Arctic  regions  in  the  months  of  May,  June 
and  July,  according  to  latitude  and  season. 

In  the  United  States  the  nesting  time  is  chiefly  in  the  latter  half 
of  May  and  June.  The  birds  inhabit  dry  and  wet  leafy  woods,  and 
seem  to  be  partial  to  those  through  which  a  small  stream  flows,  and 
where  wild  vines  climb  to  the  upper  branches  of  trees  whose  foliage 
throws  darkened  shadows  beneath.  In  these  retreats,  during  the  mating 
season,  the  bird's  incessant,  emphatic  crescendo  chant  may  be  heard.  It 
is  repeated  with  such  vehemence  that  it  is  really  startling  in  solitary 
woods. 

The  eggs  of  the  Oven-bird  are  four  or  five  in  number,  rarely  six. 
Their  color  is  white  or  creamy-white,  more  or  less  glossy,  and  the  mark- 
ings are  in  the  form  of  specks  and  spots,  often  sparsely  scattered  over 
the  entire  surface,  but  usually  more  heavily  marked  at  the  larger  ends, 
and  frequently  wreathed.  The  color  of  the  markings  is  reddish-brown 
of  various  shades  and  lilac-gray.  Ten  specimens  measure  .70  x  .59, 
.74  X  .57,  .72  X  .59,  .76  X  .58,  .79  X  .60,  .79  X  .63,  .80  X  .62,  .82  X  .62,  .84  X  63, 
.82  X  .61.  A  common  size  in  a  large  series  is  .78  x  .58.  Though  well  con- 
cealed and  hard  to  find  by  the  collector,  the  nest  of  this  species  often 
contains  the  eggs  of  the  notorious  Cowbird.  Mr.  Lynds  Jones  found 
a  nest  near  Grinnell,  Iowa,  containing  no  less  than  five  eggs  of  the 
Cowbird. 

675.    Seiurus  noveboracensis    (Gmel.)    [116.] 

'Water-Thrush. 

Hab,  Eastern  North  America  as  far  west  as  the  Mississippi  Valley.  Breeds  from  the  Northern 
United  States  northward;  south  in  winter  to  the  Gulf  States,  West  Indies,  Northern  South  America. 

The  Small-billed  Water-thrush,  New  York  Accentor,  or  Wag-tail 
Warbler  breeds  from  Northern  United  States  northward.  It  frequents 
swampy  woods  and  open,  wet  places,  nesting  on  the  ground  or  in  the 
roots  of  overturned  trees  at  the  border  of  swamps.  It  is  more  or  less 
abundant  in  all  suitable  places  in  the  New  England  States  and  New 
York.  It  has  been  found  breeding  in  Northern  Illinois  and,  in  Iowa, 
near  Des  Moines,  according  to  Messrs.  Keyes  and  Williams,  a  female 
was  seen  feeding  its  young  in  June,  1884.     A  common  summer  resident 


1^1 

E.' 

S!  i 

i^':: 

i 


380 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OP 


in  Manitoba.  Mr.  M.  K.  Baruuui,  of  Syracuse,  New  York,  tound  a  nest 
of  this  species  in  the  roots  of  a  tree  at  the  edge  of  a  swamp,  on  May 
30.  It  was  well  concealed  by  the  overhanging  roots,  and  the  cavity  was 
nearly  filled  with  moss,  leaves  and  fine  rootlets.  The  nest  at  this  date 
contained  three  young  and  one  egg. 

The  eggs  of  this  species  are  four  or  five  in  number.  Two  sets  are 
in  Mr.  Norris'  cabinet;  one  taken  near  Listowel,  Ontario,  from  a  nest 
under  a  stump  in  a  swamp,  on  June  7,  1888;  the  other  set  is  from  New 
Canada,  Nova  Scotia,  and  was  taken  July  30,  1886.  The  nest  was  built 
in  moss  on  the  side  of  a  fallen  tree.  They  are  creamy-white,  speckled 
and  spotted,  most  heavily  at  the  larger  ends,  with  hazel  and  lilac,  and 
cinnamon-rufous ;  in  the  last  mentioned  set  forming  wreaths  near  the 
larger  ends.  Their  sizes  are  .78  x  .54,  .78  x  .56,  .i"]  x  .55,  ."j"]  x  .54 ;  .78  x 
61,  .78X.63,  . 77 X. 60,  .77X.59. 

676.    Seiurus  motacilla    (Vieill)    [117.] 

Lonislaua  Water-Thrush. 

Hab.  Eastern  United  States,  north  to  tie  Ireat  Lakes  and  Southern  New  England,  west  to  the  plains. 
In  winter,  Gulf  States,  West  Indies,  Eastern  Mexico  and  Middle  America. 

The  Large-billed  Water-Thrush,  or  Large-billed  Wag-tail  Warbler 
breeds  more  or  less  commonly  in  suitable  places  throughout  its  United 
States  range  south  of  about  latitude  42°.  It  is  found  during  the  sum- 
mer months  as  far  west  as  Kansas,  where  Col.  Goss  notes  it  as  a 
common  summer  resident,  and  begins  laying  about  the  8tli  of  May. 
It  is  rare  in  Nebraska,  and  a  few  remain  to  breed  in  Iowa,  but  it  does 
not  appear  to  occur  in  Minnesota.  It  is  a  common  summer  resident 
in  Ohio,  but  of  irregular  distribution.  Mr.  William  Brewster  found 
this  species  breeding  in  Knox  county,  Indiana,  and  gives  an  excellent 
account  of  its  nest  and  eggs.*  Hon.  J.  N.  Clark  met  with  it  breeding 
quite  commonly  in  Middlesex  county,  Connecticut,  where  he  took 
complete  sets  of  eggs  as  early  as  May  7.!  In  the  northwestern  por- 
tion of  North  Carolina  (Iredell  county),  Mr.  R.  B.  McLaughlin  took 
eggs  of  this  species  in  April  and  May.  The  nest,  according  to  all 
observers,  is  built  and  carefully  hidden  in  the  cavities  among  the  roots 
of  fallen  trees,  old  logs,  stumps,  or  mossy  banks  —  always  in  swampy 
places.  They  are  usually  bulky,  and  made  of  partially  decayed  leaves, 
which  the  female  extracts  from  the  bog  with  mud  adhering  to  them. 
These  are  laid  together,  and  when  dry  make  a  solid  and  compact 
structure.  The  inner  nest  is  formed  of  grape-grass,  and  sometimes 
hair.  The  great  similarity  of  the  materials  in  the  nest  to  the  external 
surroundings  makes  it  difiicult  to  detect.     Mr.  McLaughlin  says  that 

*  Bull.  Nutt.  Ornith.  Club,  III,  pp.  1S3-135. 

t  For  Mr.  Clark's  extended  account,  see  Ornithologist  and  Oologist,  VII,  pp.  145-117. 


I. 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


381 


this  bird  in  North  Carolina  prefers  the  smaller  streams  as  breeding 
places  —  nesting  in  the  exposed  roots  of  trees  along  the  banks.  The  eggs 
are  four  or  five,  sometimes  six  in  number,  the  usual  number  being 
five.  Twelve  sets  in  Mr.  Norris'  cabinet  exhibit  considerable  variation 
in  their  general  coloration,  size,  etc.  The  ground  color  varies  from  a 
pure  white  to  a  deep  creamy-white,  thickly  speckled  with  cinnamon- 
rufous  or  chestnut  (more  heavily  near  the  larger  ends)  and  lilac-gray. 
Some  specimens  have  very  bold  spots  of  chestnut,  and  the  specks  are 
entirely  wanting.  A  set  taken  April  30,  1888,  in  Iredell  county.  North 
Carolina,  offers  the  following  sizes :  .71  x  57,  .74  x  58,  .73  x  .48,  .71  x  58, 
.74X.59;  another  set  taken  May  i,  .86X.57,  .83X.57,  .83 x. 59,  .81  x 
.59,  .83X.60. 

677.    Geothlypis  formosa    (Wils.)    [119.] 

Kentnoky  IVarliler. 

Hab.  Eastern  United  States,  chiefly  west  of  the  Alleghanies  to  the  Plains,  north  to  the  Great  Lakes 
and  Southern  New  England ;  in  winter,  south  through  Eastern  Mexico  and  Central  America  to  Panama ;  Cuba, 

The  Kentucky  Warbler  is  particularly  an  abundant  species  in  the 
Lower  Mississippi  Valley  —  Southern  Indiana  and  Illinois,  and  south- 
ward to  Southeastern  Texas.  Col.  Goss  gives  it  as  a  couiuion  summer 
resident  of  Kansas ;  begins  laying  about  May  20.  Its  nests  and  eggs 
have  been  taken  in  Southern  Illinois  and  Indiana  in  the  middle  of 
May.  It  is  a  rare  summer  resident  in  particular  localities  in  Ohio; 
more  common  in  the  southwestern  portion.  Mr.  Frank  W.  Langdon 
found  a  nest  containing  four  eggs  of  the  Warbler  and  one  of  the  Cow- 
bird  near  Madisonville,  Hamilton  county,  Ohio,  on  May  28.  The  eggs 
were  far  advanced  in  incubation.  In  Jones'  magnificent  work  "  Nests 
and  Eggs  of  Birds  of  Ohio  "  there  is  a  beautiful  illustration  of  a  nest 
which  was  found  on  the  20th  of  May,  1880,  in  Kentucky,  near  the 
Ohio  line.  The  bird  has  been  discovered  nesting  near  Sing  Sing, 
New  York,  in  June ;  at  Fort  Lee,  New  Jersey.  Its  nests  have  also 
been  taken  in  the  District  of  Columbia  in  May.  John  S.  Cairns  found 
a  nest  of  the  Kentucky  Warbler  in  Buncombe  county,  North  Carolina, 
June  15,  1886. 

Mr.  C.  J.  Pennock  in  *'  Birds  of  Chester  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania"* gives  it  as  a  rather  common  summer  resident.  It  has  been 
found  nesting  in  that  region  by  Mr.  Pennock,  Mr.  Ladd,  Thomas  H. 
Jackson  and  others.  The  nest  of  this  species  is  placed  on  the  ground 
in  woods ;  it  is  usually  very  bulky,  composed  of  leaves,  grasses,  and 
lined  with  rootlets  or  horse  hair.  It  is  generally  situated  at  the 
foot  of  a  bush  or  weed  stalk.  Mr.  Pennock  informs  me  that  he 
found  the  nest  deeply  imbedded  in  leaves  with  weeds  growing  around 

•  In  The  Oologist,  IV,  pp.  1-10. 


H 


i 


!>•''■' 


si*' 


E;     -  h 


W 


*s'v 


382 


NESTS  AND  EGOS  OP 


them ;     others    were    discovered    among    leaves    at    a  considerable 
distance   from   grass  or  weeds. 

The  eggs  are  four  or  five,  rarely  six,  in  number.  They  are  white, 
variously  speckled  or  spotted  with  burnt  umber,  cinnamon-rufous 
and  lilac-gray,  chiefly  and  more  heavily  at  the  larger  ends.  Three 
sets  of  the  eggs  in  Mr.  Norris'  collection,  taken  June  9  and  19,  1885, 
and  May  28,  1888,  respectively,  give  the  following  measurements :  .79 
X.59)  .77 x.59»  -77 X .58,  .78X.56;  .77 x. 56,  .79X.57.  .78X.56,  .75X.56; 
.65X.54,  .66X.55,  .67X.55,  .65X.55;  average  .73X.57. 

678.    Geothlypis  agills    (Wils.)    [118.] 

Connvotloat  Warbl«r. 

Hab.     Eaatern  North  America,  breeding  north  of  the  United  States. 

This  is  one  of  the  rarest  of  North  American  Warblers,  seen  in  the 
United  States  only  during  the  spring  and  fall  migrations;  in  the  latter 
season  abundant  in  some  localities.  So  far  as  I  am  aware  the  only 
authentic  nest  and  eggs  of  this  species  that  are  known  are  those  taken 
by  Mr,  Ernest  E.  Thompson,  who  found  a  nest  June  21,  1883,  on  a 
moss  mound  in  a  tamarack  swamp  near  Carberry,  Manitoba.  It  was 
composed  entirely  of  dry  grass,  sunken  level  with  the  surface. 
The  eggs  were  four  in  number  and  measured  .75  x  .56.  Before  blown 
they  were  of  a  delicate  creamy-white,  with  a  few  spots  of  lilac,  brown, 
and  black,  inclining  to  form  a  ring  at  the  large  end.  The  nest  with 
eggs  and  parent  birds  are  now  in  the  National  Museum.* 

679.    Geothlypis  Philadelphia    (Wils.)    [120.] 

MonrniiiB  Warbler. 

Hab.  Eastern  North  America,  breeding  from  the  Northern  United  States  northward;  in  winter,  south 
to  Central  and  Northern  South  America. 

The  Mourning  Warbler  is  known  to  breed  in  the  mountainous  por- 
tions of  Pennsylvania,  New  England,  New  York,  Michigan,  Minnesota 
and  Eastern  Nebraska  northward.  It  has  been  found  nesting  in  Illinois, 
south  of  latitude  39°.  Its  nest  is  built  on  or  near  the  ground  in 
woods.  One  discovered  by  Mr.  John  Burroughs  in  the  State  of  New 
York  was  built  in  ferns  about  a  foot  from  the  ground,  on  the  edge  of  a 
hemlock  wood.  It  contained  three  eggs.  Mr.  Wm.  L.  Kells  found 
what  doubtless  was  the  nest  of  this  species  in  a  swampy  woods  near 
Ivistowel,  Ontario,  early  in  June,  1877.  The  nest  was  placed  in  the 
horizontal  branch  of  a  small  cedar  a  little  more  than  a  foot  above  the 
ground.  It  was  composed  of  fine  strips  of  bark  and  other  fibrous  ma- 
terial, lined  with  fine  hair.  This  nest  contained  four  eggs  which  are 
white  with  a  sprinkling  of  reddish  dots  near  the  larger  ends. 

The  eggs  are  described  as  being  colored  like  those  of  G.  formosa 
or  G.  agiUs\  size  .71X.54. 

*  Cf.  Steton,  The  Auk,  Vol.  I,  pp.  192-193. 


NORTH   AMERICAN    BIRDS. 

680.    Geothlypis  macgilUvrayl    (Aud.) 

MMCilllTrar'a  'WwrUcr. 


383 


[lai.] 


H>b.  Weitern  United  Stalei,  north  to  Uritiih  Columbia;  in  winter,  louth  through  Mtxico,  and  Can* 
Iral  America  tu  Panama, 

Macgillivray's  Warbler  breeds  throughout  its  United  States 
range  —  in  Colorado,  Utah,  Montana,  Idaho,  Washington  Territory, 
Oregon,  and  in  the  mountains  of  California.  Mr.  A.  W.  Anthony  gives 
it  as  a  common  summer  resident  of  Washington  county,  Oregon,  where 
it  frequents  the  low,  tangled  shrubbery,  and  is  found  much  of  the  time 
on  the  ground.  A  nest  was  discovered  placed  in  a  hazel  at  an  elevation 
of  one  foot.  Mr.  H.  D.  Minot  obtained  a  nest  at  Manitou,  Colorado, 
June  21,  which  was  placed  in  a  scrub-oak  five  feet  above  the  ground 
and  three  feet  from  a  traveled  road.  Mr.  Charles  F.  Morrison  states 
that  this  species  is  one  of  the  most  common  birds  of  La  Plata  county, 
Colorado,  where  it  nests  in  juniper  bushes,  four  to  six  leet  up. 

A  set  ot  three  eggs  in  Mr.  Norris'  cabinet  was  taken  May  i8,  1884, 
near  Riverside,  California.  The  nest  was  situated  in  a  small  bush  near 
the  ground,  and  was  made  of  dry  tules,  lined  with  horse  hair.  Incuba- 
tion had  begun.  The  eggs  are  creamy-white,  marked  near  the  larger 
ends  with  spots  and  pen  lines  (somewhat  like  an  Oriole's  egg)  of  clove 
brown.  Their  sizes  are  .74X  .54,  .73X  .53,  .71  x.51.  The  eggs  of  this 
species  are  three  to  five  in  number,  usually  four,  aud  average  .72  x  .52. 

681.     Geothlypis  trichas    (Linn.)    {122, part] 

Maryland  Tellow^-throat. 

Hab.  Eastern  United  States,  north  to  Canada  and  Nova  Scotia;  in  winter,  South  Atlantic  and  Gulf 
States  and  the  West  Indies. 

This  active  little  Warbler  breeds  throughout  its  United  States 
range.  Begins  building  about  the  middle  of  May.  The  nest  is  not  an 
easy  one  to  find,  being  built  on  the  ground,  snugly  tucked  under  the 
foot  of  bush  or  tussock  of  rank  grass,  and  sometimes  partly  roofed  over 
like  the  Oven-bird's.  The  favorite  resorts  of  this  Warbler  an.  in  low, 
swampy  places  or  in  the  shadowy  undergrowth  of  woodland.  It  resem- 
bles a  wren  iu  its  fondness  for  bush  and  brier.  On  approaching  such 
places  early  in  spring  one  is  almost  sure  to  be  saluted  with  its  sprightly 
song,  full  of  energy.  My  friend,  Mr.  Thomas  M.  Earl,  has  given  me 
the  best  description  of  this  bird's  song  that  I  know  of.  One  evening 
in  May,  1884,  he  was  returning  from  a  day's  hunt,  and  after  a  rest  on 
an  old  log,  he  was  about  to  start  on  his  journey  homeward.  At  this  in- 
stant a  little  Yellow-throat  mounted  a  small  bush,  and  in  quick  succes- 
sion said,  tackle  me!  tackle  me!  tackle  me! 

The  eggs  of  this  species  are  four  or  five,  rarely  six  in  number, 
clear,  crystalline  white,  but  often  creamy-white,  speckled,  chiefly  at 


384 


NESTS   AND  EGGS  OF 


the  larger  end  with  reddish-brown,  dark  umber  and  black ;  in  some, 
occasional  lines  or  scrawls  appear.  Two  sets  of  four  eggs  each 
measure,  respectively,  .71X.53,  .71  x. 50,  .69 x. 50,  .69X.51;  .67X.48, 
.69X.50,  .66x48,  .68X.49;   the  average  is  .69 X. 52. 

681a.    Geothlypis  trichas  occidentalis    Brewst.    [122,  pari.] 

'Western  Yellow-throat. 

Hab.  United  States  west  of  the  Mississippi  Valley.  In  winter,  the  more  southern  portion  of  the 
United  States,  chiefly  west  of  the  Mississippi,  and  south  through  Western  and  Central  Mexico. 

The  same  general  habits  which  are  common  to  the  Eastern  Yellow- 
throat  are  also  characteristic  of  this  sub-species  in  the  West.  Dr. 
Merrill  states  that  its  favorite  haunt,  and  one  in  which  it  is  very  com- 
mon in  the  region  of  Fort  Klamath,  Oregon,  is  among  the  tules  in 
company  with  Marsh  Wrens  and  Yellow-headed  Blackbirds. 

The  eggs  average  a  trifle  smaller  than  those  of  G.  trichas ;  and  are 
less  heavily  marked  ;  .67  x  .50. 

683.    Icteria  virens    (Linn.)    [723.] 

Telloir-breasted  Chat- 

Hab,  Eastern  United  States  to  the  Gre^t  Plains,  north  to  Ontario  and  Southern  New  England;  south 
in  winter  through  Eastern  Mexico  to  Northern  Central  America. 

The  Yellow-breasted  Chat  xao^y  be  found  breeding  in  all  suitable 
places  throughout  its  range.  It  inhabits  the  thickets  and  brambles  of 
low  undergrowth,  preferedly  in  the  vicinity  of  a  marsh,  and  the  bird  is 
oftener  heard  than  seen.  In  the  mating  season  it  is  the  noisiest  bird 
in  the  woods,  at  which  time  it  may  be  observed  in  its  wonderful  aerial 
evolutions,  uttering  its  medley  of  sputtering,  cackling,  whispering  and 
scolding  notes,  interluded  with  loud  whistles. 

The  nest  is  built  in  brier  thickets  from  two  to  five  feet  above  the 
ground,  and  is  composed  of  withered  leaves,  dry  grasses,  strips  of  bark 
and  lined  with  finer  grasses.  Large  colonies  of  these  birds  are  often 
found  nesting  in  a  single  locality.  A  strange  nesting  place  of  a  pair 
of  Chats  is  recorded  by  Mr.  Charles  F.  Batchelde  -  as  observed  by  Mr. 
C.  W.  Beckham  in  Howard  county,  Maryland,  where  a  pair  built  in  a 
Wren  box  attached  to  one  of  the  pillars  of  a  piazza  which  partially 
fronts  a  small  ravine.  The  birds  seemed  little  disturbed  by  the  occa- 
sional visits  of  members  of  the  family. 

The  eggs  of  the  Chat  are  three  cr  four  in  number,  usually  four. 
They  are  white  with  a  glossy  surface ;  some  specimens  have  a  pinkish 
tinge,  others  greenish.  The  markings  are  light  reddish,  cinnamon- 
rufous  or  chestnut,  in  the  shape  of  specks  and  spots,  which  are  heavier 
and  bolder  at  the  larger  ends;  again  specimens  are  found  with  the 
markings  evenly  distributed  over  the  entire  surface  or  in  a  well  defined 
wreath  around  the  larger  end,  with  the  rest  of  the  t^^  unmarked. 


NORTH  AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


385 


They  vary  from  .84  to  1.02  in  length  by  .62  to  .70  in  breadth, 
average  size  of  ten  specimens  is  .92X.71. 

683a.    loteria  virens  longicanda    (Lawr.)    [123a.] 


The 


Hab.    Western  United  States  f 


Irf>]ig>tailed  Cliat. 

the  Great  Plains  to  the  Pacific;  south  Into  Mexico. 


The  general  habits,  .ests  and  eggs  of  this  Western  sub-species- 
are  the  same  as  those  of  Icteria  vtrens.  Col.  Goss  says  it  is  not  an 
uncommon  summer  resident  of  Western  Kansas  and  Mr.  Lloyd  gives 
it  as  an  abundant  breeder  in  Tom  Green  and  Concho  counties,  Texas. 

684.    Sylvania  mitrata    (Gmel.)    [124.] 

*  Hooded  Warbler. 

Hab.  Eastern  United  States,  west  to  the  edge  of  the  Great  Plains,  north  to  Southern  portions  of 
Michigan,  New  York  and  New  England;  south  in  winter  to  Cuba,  Jamaica;  through  Eastc'  i  Mexico  and 
Central  America. 

The  Hooded  Flycatching  Warbler  breeds  throughout  its  United 
States  range.  Col.  Goss  mentions  it  as  a  rare  summer  resident  of 
Eastern  Kansas  where  it  begins  laying  the  last  of  May.  It  is  a 
common  resident  in  the  cane-brakes  and  low  shrubbery  along  the 
Ivower  Wabash  in  Southern  Illinois.  In  Georgia  the  Hooded  Warbler 
deposits  its  eggs  about  the  middle  of  May.  Mr.  Arthur  T.  Wayne  has 
taken  fresh  eggs  near  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  in  the  first  week  of 
June.  The  bird  is  a  rare  summer  resident  of  Ohio  but  I  have  no 
recent  records  of  its  nest  and  eggs  having  been  taken  in  the  State. 
Dr.  KIrtland  notices  its  breeding  in  the  vicinity  of  Cleveland.  For  a 
number  of  years  the  Hon.  John  N.  Clark  has  observed  this  Warbler 
breeding  in  Middlesex  county,  Connecticut,  usually  in  the  latter  part 
of  May  or  first  half  of  June.  The  bird  is  one  of  the  liveliest  of  its 
tribe  and  is  very  active  in  catching  insects  on  the  wing  in  the  manner 
of  the  true  Flycatchers.  It  frequents  thickets  and  undergrowth  of 
high  and  low  lands,  where  it  skillfully  conceals  itself  when  pursued. 
It  has  a  peculiarly  graceful  manner  of  closing  and  spreading  its  broad 
tail,  like  the  Redstart. 

The  nest  of  the  Hooded  Warbler  is  built  in  the  low  bushes  of 
undergrowth,  usually  within  a  few  inches  or  feet  of  the  ground.  It  is 
composed  of  leaves,  shreds  of  bark,  and  scales  of  beech  buds,  all  com- 
pactly woven  and  secured  together  with  spider  webs;  the  lining  in 
some  nests  is  entirely  horse  or  cattle  hair,  others  are  found  lined  with 
fibres  of  grape-vine  bark,  or  mixed  with  both. 

The  eggs  are  lour  in  number,  rarely  five.  The  usual  ground- 
color is  white,  or  creamy-white,  and  the  markings  are  generally  specks 
and  spots  of  chestnut  or  burnt  umber  and  lilac-gray,  principally  near 
the  larger  end,  and  often  forming  wreaths.    In  a  series  of  sixteen  sets 

26 


'W. 


i  V 


386 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


in  Mr.  Norris'  collection  the  sizes  of  the  set  containing  the  smallest 
eggs  are,  .66  x  .51,  .69  x  .52,  .68  x  .53,  .69  x  .52  ;  the  largest,  .75  x  .53,  .73 
X  .54,  .72  X  .53,  .73  X  .55 ;  the  average  is  .70  x  .53. 

685.    Sylvania  pusilla.    (Wils.)    [125.] 

Virilaon's  WarMer. 

Hab.  Eastern  North  America,  west  to  and  including  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  to  the  coast  of  Behring 
Sea.  Breeds  from  northern  border  of  United  States  and  higher  Rocky  Mountairs  northward.  South  in 
winter  through  Eastern  Mexico  and  Central  America. 

The  Green  Black-capped  Flycatching  Warbler,  or  Wilson's  Black- 
capped  Warbler,  breeds  from  the  northern  border  of  the  United 
States  northward,  chiefly  however  in  the  higher  latitudes.  Mr.  H.  D. 
Minot  found  a  nest  of  this  bird  containing  five  fresh  eggs,  on  June  22, 
at  Seven  Lakes,  on  Pike's  Peak,  Colorado.  The  nest  was  found  on 
the  ground,  under  a  low,  spreading  branch  of  a  dwarf  willow,  at  the 
edge  of  a  swamp.* 

The  eggs  of  this  species  are  four  or  five,  sometimes  six  in  number. 
A  set  of  five  in  Mr.  Norris'  cabinet  was  taken  June  15,  1887,  in  Boul- 
der county,  Colorado.  The  nest  was  well  imbedded  in  the  ground 
among  some  willow  twigs,  and  was  composed  of  leaves  and  swamp 
grass  externally,  lined  with  fine  grasses  and  a  few  hairs.  The  eggs 
are  white,  speckled  with  cinnamon-rufous  and  lavender-gray.  Nearly 
all  the  markings  are  near  the  larger  ends,  where  they  form  wreaths. 
Their  respective  measurements  are  .59x49,  .60X.49,  .60x48,  .58X.48, 
j6o  X  .48. 

685a.    Sylvania  pusilla  pileolata.    (Pall.)    [125a.] 

Pileolated  ViTarbler. 

Hab.  Western  North  America,  chiefly  along  or  near  Pacific  coast,  north  to  Kadiak  Island,  Alaska. 
South  in  Winter  through  Western  Mexico  to  Costa  Rica. 

The  Western  Black-capped  Flycatching  V/arbler  is  a  common 
breeding  bird  in  various  sections  on  the  Pacific  coast  from  Southern 
California  northward.  Mr.  W.  Otto  Emerson  states  that  in  the  vicinity 
of  Haywards,  California,  he  has  taken  eggs  as  early  as  April  22,  and 
full-fledged  young  were  observed  by  May  17.  The  birds  nest  in  the 
thickets  along  water  courses,  and  rear  at  least  two  broods  in  a  season. 
Prof.  Evermann  found  a  nest  near  San  Buenaventura,  California,  on 
May  23,  1881,  placed  about  a  foot  from  the  ground,  in  a  clump  of 
blackberry  bushes.  Dr.  Merrill  notes  that  the  bird  breeds  in  consid- 
erable numbers  in  the  swampy  willow  thickets  along  Wood  River  and 
Fort  Creek,  in  the  region  ot  Fort  Klamath,  Oregon.  The  nest  is 
composed  of  leaves,  bark  strips,  weed  stems,  vegetable  fibres,  rootlets, 
lined  with  finer  grasses.    Often  it  is  made  entirely  of  leaves  and  lined 

*  See  foot-note  in  New  England  Bird  Life,  Vol.  I,  pp.  172-173. 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


387 


with  fibrous  roots.     It  is  placed  in  bushes  from  one  to  four  feet  above 
the  ground. 

The  eggs  are  four  in  number,  white  or  creamy-white,  speck- 
led with  reddish-brown  and  lilac-gray;  in  some  specimens  these 
markings  are  in  the  form  of  a  wreath  near  the  larger  ends.  A  set  in 
Mr.  Norris'  collection,  taken  at  Waterville,  California,  May  6,  1875, 
gives  the  following  measurements :  .62  x  .48,  .60  x  .49,  .60  x  .48,  .60  x  .48 ; 
another,  collected  at  Alameda,  California,  April  11,  1885:  .57X.49,  .58 
x  .49,  .58  X  .50.     Average  size,  .60  x  .48. 

686.    Sylvania  canadensis.    (Linn.)    [127.) 

Canadian  Warbler. 

Hab.  Eastern  North  America,  west  to  the  Great  Plains,  north  to  Newfoundland,  Southern  Labrador 
and  Lake  Winnipeg,  south  in  winter  through  Eastern  Mexico  and  Central  America  to  Ecuador. 

The  Canada  Flycatching  Warbler  breeds  occasionally  from  the 
Middle  States,  and  regularly  from  New  England  northward.  In 
other  Northern  States  it  breeds  sparingly.  Mr.  Robert  B.  Law- 
rence found  a  nest  of  the  Canadian  Warbler  in  the  mountains  of  Pike 
county,  Pennsylvania,  on  June  9,  1887.  The  nest  was  placed  in  the 
roots  of  an  old  stump,  and  contained  four  young  birds  and  one 
unhatched  egg.  It  has  been  known  to  nest  in  Northern  Illinois.  In 
some  portions  of  Canada  it  is  a  common  breeder.  Thomas  Mcllwraith 
says  that  a  few  remain  to  spend  the  summer  in  Southern  Ontario, 
while  the  majority  go  farther  north.  Mr.  William  L.  Kells  found  it 
nesting  in  the  low,  swampy  woodlands  near  Listowel,  and  obtained 
sets  of  its  eggs  in  the  latter  part  of  May  and  first  week  of  June.  The 
nests  were  found  in  the  cavities  of  upturned  roots  of  trees,  and  in  the 
depressions  in  banks  near  pools  of  water.  They  are  generally 
well  hidden  by  weeds  or  grass,  and  are  commonly  placed  on  the 
ground,  in  underbrush,  by  the  side  of  a  log  or  at  the  foot  of  a  bush. 
Their  composition  is  dry  weeds,  fine  roots,  with  a  lining  of  hair. 

The  eggs  are  four  or  five,  white  or  buffy,  speckled  or  spotted, 
chiefly  round  the  larger  end,  with  reddish-brown  and  lilac-gray.  Their 
avif.rage  size  is  .68X.51.  Mr.  Norris  has  a  set  of  five  which  were  taken 
n'  ar  Barnard,  Maine,  June  14,  1875.  These  measure  .67X.50,  .67 x  .49, 
.66  X  .48,  .66  X  .48,  .66  x  .49 

687.    Setophaga  ruticilla    (Linn.)    [128.] 

American  Redstart. 

Hab.  Eastern  North  America,  north  to  Fort  Simpson,  west  to  and  including  the  Rocky  MouDtaini. 
In  winter.  West  Indies,  Eastern  Mexico,  CentralAmerica,  ^nd  south  to  Northern  South  America. 

The  richly-colored  Redstart  breeds  in  most  of  its  United  States 
range  and  wherever  found  in  British  America.  It  is  an  abundant 
breeding  species  from  the  Northern  States  northward.    Nests  in  May 


I' 


fSft 


3*- 
f* 


r 


ik.k'm.'mi'-itiM  ■■ 


388 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OP 


and  June.  In  Ohio  I  have  invariably  found  it  in  the  woods  which  are 
the  favorite  haunts  of  the  Oven-bird,  Sentrus  aurocapillus.  About 
four  miles  east  of  Columbus,  in  a  thick  damp  woods  of  about  fifteen 
acres  in  extent,  I  counted  no  less  than  twenty-seven  nests  in  a  single 
day.  In  many  sections  the  birds  are  really  more  common  than  the 
Yellow  Warbler,  D.  cestiva.  The  nest  built  by  the  Redstart  is  a  beau- 
tiful, compact,  cup-shaped  structure,  made  of  shreds  of  plants  and 
hempen  fibres,  held  together  with  spiders'  webs ;  the  lining  is  of  fine 
grasses  and  hair.  It  is  either  saddled  on  a  branch  or  placed  in 
the  forked  twigs  of  a  small  tree  or  sapling,  usually  from  six  to  twelve 
feet  above  the  ground,  but  often  as  high  as  thirty.  A  curious  habit  of 
the  Redstart  is  that  of  opening  and  closing  its  fan-like  tail  while  flitting 
about  in  the  trees  and  bushes. 

The  eggs  are  four,  rarely  five,  in  number  and  they  are  subject  to 
a  remarkable  variation  in  size  and  color.  In  a  large  series  the  ground 
color  will  vary  from  white  to  greenish-white  or  grayish-white.  The 
markings  are  specks  or  spots  of  cinnamon,  brown  and  lilac-gray, 
chiefly  round  the  larger  end.  Ten  specimens  selected  on  account  of 
their  sizes  give  the  following  measurements:  .57X.47,  .60X.45,  .61  x 
.47,  .62X.48,  .64X.52,  .66X.51,  .67X.48,  .68X.49,  .69X.48,  .70X.50. 

688.    Setophaga  picta    Swains.     [129.] 

Painted  Redstart. 

Hab.    SoutherD  Arizona  and  New  Mexico,  south  to  highlands  of  Mexico. 

This  is  the  Painted  Flycatching  Warbler  of  so  striking  colors.  It 
is  found  in  Southern  Arizona  and  New  Mexico  southward  into  Mexico. 
It  frequents  shrubbery  near  water  and  in  some  localities  is  abundant. 
Mr.  Walter  E.  Bryant  gives  the  first  description  of  the  nest  and  eggs 
of  this  species  from  specimens  obtained  by  Mr.  Herbert  Brown  in 
the  Santa  Rita  Mountains,  Arizona,  June  6,  1880.* 

The  nests  and  eggs  do  not  resemble  those  of  S.  ruticilla.  The 
nesting-site  is  within  cavities  in  banks  or  under  projecting  stones.  A 
nest  was  taken  by  Mr.  Brown  from  a  hole  in  a  road  bank  in  the  moun- 
tains ;  this  Mr.  Bryant  describes  as  being  loosely  constructed  of  dry 
gray  grasses  and  fine  shreds  of  vegetable  bark,  and  lined  with  black  and 
white  horse  hairs.  It  contained  four  incubated  eggs  of  a  light  pearl- 
white  thickly  dotted  with  brownish-red  and  traces  of  lilac  on  the  larger 
end.  They  measure  .57  x  .48,  .6ox  .50,  .64  x  .50,  .58  x  .49.  Another  set 
of  four  was  taken  from  a  similar  nest  beneath  a  small  bush.  The  eggs 
are  somewhat  larger  and  spotted  over  the  entire  egg,  the  markings 
clustering  about  the  larger  end.    The  sizes  of  three  of  them  are  .69  x 

♦  Bull.  Nutt.  Ornith.  Club,  VI,  pp,  176- IT7. 


&■! 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


389 


.52,  .65X.51,  .66X.50;  the  fourth  was  broken.  Mr.  William  Brewster 
describes  a  nest  and  eggs  of  the  Painted  Redstart  obtained  by  Mr.  F. 
Stephens  in  the  Santa  Rita  Mountains.*  The  nest  was  under  a  pro- 
jecting stone  in  a  bank  near  a  small  stream. 

The  three  eggs  which  this  nest  contained  were  clear,  dead  white, 
delicately  spotted  with  light  reddish-brown,  the  markings  being  sparse- 
ly distributed  over  the  surface  and  handsomely  wreathed  about  the 
larger  end.  They  measure  .64X.51,  .64X.50,  .66X.49.  The  average 
size  is  .65  X  .48. 

690.    Cardellina  rubrifrons.    (Giraud.)    [131  ] 

Red-faoed  Warbler. 

Hab.  Highlands  of  Northern  Central  America  [Guatemala)  and  Mexico,  north  to  Southern  Arizona. 

The  first  knowledge  we  have  concerning  the  nests  and  eggs  of 
this  handsome  Warbler  is  from  specimens  taken  by  Mr.  W.  W.  Price  on 
May  31,  1888,  in  the  pine  regions  of  Southern  Arizona  —  the  Huachuca 
Mountains.  The  nest  was  placed  on  sloping  ground,  in  a  slight 
hollow,  and  contained  four  fresh  eggs,  and  dissection  of  the  female 
showed  that  the  full  clutch  had  been  laid.  The  nest  was  so  well 
hidden  by  a  few  sprays  of  columbine  that  it  would  have  been  over- 
looked had  the  bird  not  been  started  directly  from  it.  It  was  so  loosely 
built  that  it  crumbled  to  fragments  on  being  removed.  The  chief 
substance  was  fine,  fibrous  weed  stalks,  while  the  lining  consisted 
of  fine  grass,  rootlets,  plant  fibres  and  a  few  hairs.  Skeleton  leaves 
and  bits  of  fine  bark  were  intermingled  throughout  the  nest,  and  the 
ground  on  which  it  was  placed  was  so  damp  that  the  bottom  part  was 
badly  decayed.  The  eggs  from  this  nest  were  presented  by  Mr.  Price 
to  the  National  Museum  Collection,  at  Washington,  D.  C,  and  are 
described  by  Capt.  Charles  E.  Bendire  as  ovate  in  shape  ;  their  ground 
color  "  a  delicate  creamy-white,  spotted  with  small  blotches  of  cinna- 
mon-rufous and  a  few  dots  of  heliotrope-purple  and  pale  lavender. 
These  form  a  wreath  around  the  larger  end.  They  resemble  the  eggs 
of  Helminthophila  lucia  and  H.  virginice  to  a  certain  extent."t 

[694]    Motacilla  alba.    Linn.     [69.] 

White  W^agtaU. 

Hab.  Europe  and  Northern  Asia;  in  winter,  Northeastern  Africa  and  Southern  Asia.  Accidental 
in  Greenland. 

The  common  White  Wagtail  of  Europe  claims  a  place  in  the 
North  American  avifauna  as  an  accidental  visitant  of  Greenland.  It 
is  found  in  all  portions  of  Europe,  and  its  favorite  haunts  are  meadows 
in  the  vicinity  of  water,  villages  and  old  houses.    It  nests  on  the 

•  Bull.  Nutt.  Ornith.  Club,  VII,  pp.  UO-141. 
t  The  Auk,  V,  pp.  885-386. 


390 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


ground  among  the  grass  of  the  meadows,  in  crevices  of  rocks  or  old 
buildings;  in  the  roots  of  trees  along  the  banks  of  streams;  under 
bridges.  The  nests  are  constructed  of  small  sticks,  twigs,  grass, 
straws,  leaves  and  rootlets,  the  lining  being  of  wool  and  hair.  The 
eggs  are  four,  five,  six,  or  even  seven  in  number.  A  set  of  six  eggs  in 
my  cabinet,  taken  May  lo,  1880,  in  Staffordshire,  England,  have  a 
grayish-white  ground-color,  and  are  speckled  all  over  the  surface  with 
minute  ash-gray  specks.  Several  single  specimens  have  markings 
that  are  of  a  decided  dark  brown  color.  The  set  of  six  measure: 
.77 X. 58,  .79X.56,  .76X.55,  .79X.59,  .78X.56,  .77X.57.  The  average 
size  is  .75X.55. 

696.    Budytes  flavus  leucoatriatus.    (Hom.)    [70.] 

Siberian  Yellow  Wagtail. 

Hab.  Alaska,  north  of  the  Peninsula;  Eastern  Siberia  and  Kamtschatka,  wintering  in  Eastern  China. 

This  Wagtail  occurs  abundantly  in  Alaska.  Dr.  Stejneger  states 
that  B.  leucostriatus  is  a  common  breeding  bird  in  the  environs  of 
Petropaulski,  Kamtschatka,  being  found  during  the  months  of  June 
and  July  everywhere  on  the  low  marshy  grounds  surrounding  the 
lakes,  fresh-water  ponds  and  brackish  lagoons  of  the  vicinity.  On 
Behring  Island  single  individuals  were  seen  until  June  10.  The  nest 
of  this  bird  is  placed  on  the  ground  and  usually  concealed  by  a  tussock 
of  grass,  projecting  stone,  etc. 

The  eggs  are  dull  white,  yellowish  or  brownish-white,  profusely 
covered  with  fine  dots  of  reddish-gray,  dark  brown  or  black ;  average 
size,  .76 X. 55. 

697.    Aiithus  pensllvanicus.    (Lath.)    [71.] 

Amerioan  Pipit* 

Hab.  Whole  of  North  America,  breeding  from  the  high  mountains  of  Colorado  and  from  Labrador 
northward  to  the  Arctic  coast.     Winters  in  the  Gulf  States,  Mexico  and  Central  America. 

Known  as  the  American  Titlark,  Brown  lark,  Louisiana  Lark  and 
Wagtail.  An  abundant  and  a  well-known  bird  everywhere  in  fields  and 
plains  throughout  North  America.  In  the  United  States  it  is  seen 
chiefly  in  flocks  in  fall,  winter  and  spring.  Breeds  in  the  mountains 
of  Colorado  (above  timber  line),  and  from  Labrador  northward  to  the 
Arctic  regions.  The  nest  is  placed  on  the  ground,  and  is  large  and 
bulky,  made  of  coarse,  dry  grasses  and  moss  loosely  put  together. 

From  four  to  six  dark  chocolate-colored  eggs  are  laid,  the  surface 
of  which  is  marked  or  overlaid  with  numerous  specks  and  streaks  of 
grayish -brown.  A  set  of  five  eggs  in  Mr.  Norris'  cabinet  was  taken 
July  3,  1888,  on  Mount  Audubon,  Snowy  Range,  Rocky  Mountains, 
Colorado,  at  an  elevation  of  1 1000  feet.  The  nest  was  well  concealed, 
being  at  the  side  of,  and  partly  under  a  large  stone.     It  was  composed 


NORTH  AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


391 


wholly  of  grasses.  The  eggs  are  grayish-white,  but  so  thickly  are 
they  covered  with  specks  of  hair-brown  that  they  appear  to  be  almost 
of  a  uniform  tint  of  brown.  At  the  larger  ends  these  specks  are  heavier, 
producing  the  appearance  of  a  darker  color.  The  five  eggs  measure : 
.79  X  .58,  .78  X  58,  .81 X  .58,  .81 X  .58,  .80  X  .55,  respectively.  The  average 
size  is  .78X.58. 

[698.]    Anthus  pratensis    (Linn.)    [72.J 

Meadoir  Pipit> 

Hall.     Europe;  northern  j-ortions  of  Africa  in  winter;  occasional  in  Southern  Greenland. 

The  European  Titlark  very  closely  resembles  the  American  bird, 
A.  penstlvaniacsy  in  appearance  and  all  its  general  characteristics. 
An  occasional  visitant  in  Southern  Greenland.  It  inhabits  the  whole 
continent  of  Europe,  where  it  is  the  most  common  and  best  known  of 
its  tribe.  In  Great  Britain  the  Titlark  is  found  throughout  the  year. 
It  frequents  all  kinds  of  localities  —  hill  or  valley,  marsh  or  moorland, 
shady  woods  and  flowery  meadows,  the  neighborhood  of  busy  towns, 
or  the  sandy  sea-shore.  The  nest  is  built  on  the  ground,  and  is  com- 
posed of  dried  grasses,  lined  with  finer  grass,  moss  and  a  few  hairs. 

The  eggs  are  four  to  six  in  number,  and  scarcely  any  two  sets  are 
exactly  alike  in  color ;  the  ground  tint  may  be  blue-gray,  reddish- 
brown  or  yellow-brown ;  in  all  cases  the  eggs  are  spotted  and  mottled 
with  darker  br  wn  or  mouse-gray,  giving  to  the  surface  a  uniform  dark 
appearance.  A  set  of  five  eggs  collected  by  Mr.  W.  Wells  Bladen, 
June  2,  1879,  in  Staffordshire,  England,  exhibits  the  following  sizes: 
.79X.59,  .80X.59,  .83X.58,  .84X.59,  .85X.60.  A  set  of  four  from  Suf- 
folk measure,  respectively,  .78  x  .58,  .75  x  .54,  .74X.57,  .77X.56.  The 
average  size  is  .78  x  .57. 

700.    Anthus  spragueii    (Aud.)    [73.] 

Spragne's  Pipit. 

Hab.  Interior  plains  of  North  America.  Breeds  from  Central  Dakota  northward  to  the  Saskatchewaa 
country;  south  in  winter  over  southern  plains  to  Southern  Mexico. 

The  Missouri  Skylark  has  the  same  general  habits  common  to  the 
Titlark,  but  soaring  like  the  European  Skylark  when  singing,  and 
according  to  those  who  have  heard  it,  its  vocal  powers  are  not  less 
inferior  than  those  of  that  celebrated  bird.  It  breeds  abundantly  in 
Dakota  and  Montana  northward  to  the  Saskatchewan  districts,  where 
Captain  Blakiston  found  them  common  on  the  prairies  during  the 
breeding  season.  Sprague's  Pipit  can  also  be  found  in  summer  in 
Western  Minnesota  and  in  Nebraska. 

Its  nest  is  built  on  the  ground  in  a  depression,  and  is  made  of  fine 
grasses,  interwoven  in  a  circular  form  and  without  lining.     The  sur- 


392 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


rounding  grasses  are  sometimes  formed  into  an  arch  like  the  arch-way 
of  the  Meadow  Lark's  nest. 

The  eggs  are  four  or  five,  of  a  grayish-white,  minutely  speckled 
with  purplish-gray ;  size  .87  x  .67. 

701.    Oindas  mezicanns    Swains.    [  19.] 

Amerloan  Dlyper. 

Hab.  Mountainous  portions  of  Western  North  America,  from  the  Yukon  Valley  south  to  Northern 
Central  America  (Guatemala). 

The  American  Water  Ouzel,  a  grayish,  slate-colored  bird,  which 
has  the  aquatic  habits  of  a  duck  and  the  tilting  movements  of  a  sand- 
piper, inhabits  exclusively  the  mountainous  portions  of  Western  North 
America.  It  is  resident  as  far  north  as  the  valley  of  the  Yukon  River. 
It  is  never  found  near  still  water,  frequenting  only  wild,  forcible  moun- 
tain streams,  cascades,  eddies  and  swift  currents.  Mr.  Frank  M.  Drew 
beautifully  says  that  the  birds  "  are  the  very  embodiment  of  a  moun- 
tain torrent  —  bustling  and  energetic ;  and  their  song  is  like  crystallized 
spray.  Sweet,  sparkling  and  vivacious,  taken  with  its  surroundings,  I 
do  not  know  of  any  bird-song  which  surpasses  it." 

The  nest  is  variously  situated,  but  always  near  water  in  a  nook  or 
crevice,  on  shelving  rocks,  among  roots  of  trees,  often  where  the  water 
sprays  keep  the  outside  damp.  It  is  a  beautiful  ball  of  soft  green  moss, 
measuring  about  seven  inches  by  ten,  and  is  usually  dome-shaped,  with 
a  small,  round  hole  in  one  side  for  an  entrance ;  within  it  is  strongly 
arched  over  with  leaves  and  grasses  and  supported  by  twigs,  and  all 
cemented  with  mud. 

The  eggs  are  three  to  five  in  number,  plain,  pure  white,  and  average 
i.oo  X  .70.  The  eggs  are  usually  deposited  in  the  latter  part  of  May  or 
in  June.  A  set  of  four  eggs  in  my  cabinet  taken  June  10,  1880,  in  San 
Juan  county,  Colorado,  offers  the  following  measurements:  i.oix.73, 
.99X.72,  1.00X.70,  1.01X.72.  Mr.  Norris  has  two  sets;  one  of  four 
eggs,  taken  June  4,  1881,  in  Clear  Creek  Canon,  Colorado;  sizes  .99X 
.74,  1.00 X. 73,  1.01X.74,  I.OIX.73;  the  other  set,  consisting  of  three 
eggs,  was  collected  by  Mr.  William  Cooper,  near  Santa  Cruz ;  these 
measure  1.05 x  .71,  1.04X.71,  i.oi  x.70. 

702.    Oroscoptes  montanus    (Towns.)    [10.] 

Sage  Thraaher- 

Hab.  Sage-brush  regions  of  Western  United  States,  from  the  western  part  of  the  Great  Plains  to  the 
Pacific;  in  winter  south  into  Mexico. 

Erroneously  called  Mountain  Mocking  Bird,  for  it  is  exclusively  an 
inhabitant  of  the  sage-brush  region  of  the  West,  and  is  partial  to  the 
lower  portions  of  the  country,  though  not  infrequently  met  with  in  the 
open  mountains.     It  nests  in  low  bushes,  especially  the  sage  and  cactus, 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


393 


from  ten  inches  to  three  feet  above  the  ground.  The  nest  is  a  loose, 
bulky  structure  made  of  bark-strips,  small  twigs,  coarse  grasses  and 
lined  with  fine  stems  and  rootlets. 

The  eggs  are  three  or  four,  rarely  five,  in  number,  and  they  are 
deposited  variously  in  the  latter  half  of  May,  in  June,  and  as  late  as 
the  first  or  second  week  in  July.  Eight  sets  of  the  eggs  of  this  species 
from  Utah,  Montana  and  Oregon  are  in  Mr.  Norris'  cabinet.  Their 
ground-color  is  of  a  rich  greenish-blue,  spotted  with  bright  reddish- 
brown,  and  a  few  plumbeous  markings.  In  shape  they  vary  from  an 
ovate  to  a  short  ovate.  The  sizes  of  the  specimens  in  a  set  containing 
the  smallest  eggs  are:  .90  x  .72,  .89  x  .72,  .84  x  .70.  The  largest:  .95  x  .69, 
.9.6  X  .70,  .95  X  .68,  .95  X  .69.     Average  size  .95  x  .70. 

703.    Mimus  polyglottos    (Linn.)    [ii.] 

Mooklnglilrd. 

Hab.    United  States,  south  into  Mexico;  rare  or  local  north  of  38°. 

The  home  of  this  inimitable  vocalist  is  in  the  Southern  States, 
where  it  is  very  abundant.  It  has  occasionally  been  detected  breeding 
in  the  more  northern  States  and  above  latitude  38°  —  as,  near  Spring- 
field and  Arlington,  Massachusetts,  and  in  the  Connecticut  Valley. 
There  are  records  of  the  bird's  residing  in  summer  in  Central  and 
Southern  Iowa.  It  is  a  rare  summer  resident  in  Ohio.  I  have  sev- 
eral times  taken  them  in  June,  and  my  friend,  J.  E.  Gould,  observed 
a  pair  that  lingered  about  the  grounds  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Ohio  State 
University  during  the  summer  months  of  1887,  but  was  unable  to  dis- 
cover their  nest,  which  was  doubtless  in  the  neighborhood.  A  pair 
built  their  nest  and  reared  their  young  for  several  years  near  the  resi- 
dence of  Dr.  Kirtland,  at  Rockport,  and  the  bird  has  been  found  breed- 
ing frequently  in  Southern  Ohio.  Col.  Goss  gives  the  Mockingbird  as 
a  summer  resident  of  Kansas ;  begins  laying  about  the  20th  of  May. 
Mr.  Shields  informs  me  that  in  Los  Angeles  county,  California,  where 
it  is  an  abundant  resident,  nest-building  is  begun  early  in  May,  and 
fresh  eggs  may  be  found  as  late  as  the  last  of  June.  He  states  that 
when  deprived  of  the  first  set  of  eggs,  a  second  nest  is  invariably  built 
and  another  set  deposited. 

The  nest  is  composed  of  small  twigs  and  weeds,  lined  with  roots 
and  sometimes  with  horse-hair  and  cotton.  Various  situations  are 
selected  for  the  nest ;  an  almost  impenetrable  thicket  of  brambles,  a 
hedge,  an  orange  tree  or  holly  bush  seem  to  be  favorite  localities.  Often 
the  nest  is  built  in  a  bush  a  few  feet  from  a  door  or  window  of  a  dwell- 
ing. Generally  two  or  three  broods  are  reared  in  a  season.  Mr.  J.  A. 
Singley,  of  Giddings,  Lee  county,  Texas,  informs  me  that  he  finds  the 


394 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


nests  in  that  locality  built  mostly  in  clumps  of  live  oaks  scattered  over 
the  prairies,  also  in  brush-piles,  corners  of  rail  fences,  and  in  fact  every- 
where except  on  the  ground.  He  has  found  them  as  low  as  six  inches 
from  the  ground  in  a  low  bush,  and  as  high  as  fifty  feet  in  trees. 

A  set  of  five  eggs  was  taken  from  the  hollow  of  a  live  oak  in  May, 
1886.  The  eggs  are  usually  four  or  five,  seldom  six.  The  ground-color 
varies  from  pale  greenish-blue  to  dull  buffy,  marked  with  spots  and 
blotches  of  yellowish-brown,  russet  or  chestnut.  A  great  variation 
exists  in  the  sizes.  Specimens  in  a  large  series  measure  as  small  as 
.87 X.68,  and  as  large  as  1.05 x .80.    A  common  size  is  .94X .71. 


704.    Oaleoscoptes  carolinensis 

Catbird. 


(Linn.)     [12.] 


Hab.  Eastern  United  States  and  British  Provinces,  north  to  about  54°  in  the  interior ;  west  to  and  in- 
cluding the  Rocky  Mountains.    Winters  in  the  Southern  States,  Cuba  and  Central  America  to  Panama. 

This  well  known  bird  breeds  throughout  its  range,  nesting  in 
bushes,  low  trees,  or  clusters  of  vines,  generally  in  retired  places.  It 
is  seldom  placed  more  than  ten  feet  above  the  ground.  Thickets  or  or- 
chards are  its  favorite  haunts.  The  nest  is  bulky  and  inartistic,  made 
of  dry  leaves,  twigs,  dry  grass,  and  lined  with  black  fibrous  roots  and 
grass. 

The  eggs  are  usually  four,  frequently  five,  and  rarely  six.  They 
are  plain,  deep  bluish-green  ;  average  size  .95  x  ,71. 

705.    Harporhynchus  rufus    (Linn.)    [13.] 

Y  Brown  Thrasher. 

Hab.  Eastern  United  States,  west  to  the  base  of  the  Rock/  Mountains,  north  Southern  Maine,  On- 
tario and  Manitoba.    Winters  in  more  Southern  States,  north  to  ^bout  37^. 

The  Brown  Thrasher  breeds  in  all  suitable  localities  throughout 
its  range,  building  its  nest  in  low  bushes,  or  on  stumps,  in  clusters  of 
wild  vines  and  briefs,  in  heaps  of  brush-wood,  and  often  on  the  ground. 
It  may  be  frequently  found  nesting  in  the  fruit  trees  of  quiet  orchards, 
and  in  trees  situated  in  unfrequented  places.  When  the  nest  is  placed 
on  the  ground  where  the  soil  is  wet  and  clayey  the  eggs  become  addled  ; 
three  instances  of  this  kind  have  come  under  my  notice,  and  the  eggs 
have  failed  to  hatch.  The  same  observations  have  been  made  by  a 
number  of  my  correspondents.  The  nests  are  rather  flat,  loosely  and 
rudely  constructed  of  twigs,  strips  of  bark,  withered  leaves,  and  black, 
fibrous  roots,  lined  with  horse  hair  and  a  few  feathers.  In  some  sec- 
tions the  Brown  Thrasher  begins  to  build  in  the  latter  part  of  April, 
but  more  generally  in  the  first  half  of  May. 

The  eggs  are  three  or  four,  sometimes  five,  in  number.  Their 
ground-color  varies  from  white  through  pale-buflf  to  ^ale-greenish,  and, 
very  rarely,  quite  a  distinct  green ;  the  markings  are  minute  specks  of 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


396 


reddish-brown,  thickly  sprinkled  over  the  entire  surface,  frequently 
forming  distinct  wreaths  near  the  larger  ends.  The  average  size  is 
1.08  X  .80,  with  considerable  variation. 

I  know  not  whether  to  wonder  most  at  the  range  and  variety  of 
this  bird's  natural  song  or  at  his  powers  as  a  mimic.  In  the  latter  con- 
sideration I  would  not  dare  to  place  him  on  the  same  plane  with  the 
far-famed  Mockingbird,  but  the  scope  and  diversity  of  his  natural  song 
notes  are  something  wonderful,  and  when  heard  under  favorable  cir- 
cumstances fills  the  mind  of  the  hearer  with  admiration  for  the  bird 
whose  lyrical  powers  are  among  the  first  of  feathered  songsters.  Never 
shall  I  forget  the  early  dawn  of  a  May  morning  in  1875,  when  the  song 
of  this  bird  first  fell  upon  my  ears. 

I  was  bent  on  making  a  collection  of  the  birds  of  Franklin  county, 
Ohio,  and  many  a  spring  morning,  often  long  before  daybreak,  found 
me  in  the  woods  with  my  gun  and  note-book  in  hand. 

It  was  one  of  those  mornings  when  the  whole  face  of  creation  was 
fresh  and  gay ;  when  the  gentle  gales  were  freighted  with  the  odors  of 
budding  vegetation,  when  everything  tended  to  inspire  the  thoughts  to 
muse  on  Nature's  grandeiir. 

The  sun's  rays  had  not  yet  streaked  the  eastern  sky,  and  the  morn- 
ing's gray  cast  a  lurid  light  over  field  and  forest.  From  out  the  blue 
firmanent,  still  twinkling  with  stars,  came  the  crackling  sound  of  the 
Purple  Martin,  and  the  gutteral  cries  of  herons  could  be  distinctly 
heard  as  they  winged  their  way  in  the  calm  morning  air.  The  song  of 
the  cricket  was  on  the  wane  and  the  croaking  of  the  frogs  was  dying 
away  as  the  morning  dawn  was  brightening. 

Near  by  flowed  the  quiet  Scioto,  along  whose  banks  the  sandpipers 
whistled,  while  the  cackling  and  crowing  of  fowls  in  the  neighboring 
farms  told  of  the  approaching  day. 

The  grayness  of  dawn  soon  decayed,  and  the  clouds  of  floating 
mist  vanished  before  the  rising  sun.  A  number  of  sprightly  Gold- 
finches flew  in  their  undulating  manner  through  the  air,  and  now  the 
leafing  trees  along  the  river  bank  and  in  the  little  woods  near  by 
seemed  swarming  with  birds ;  everything  appeared  to  be  animated  with 
beauty,  perfume  and  song. 

I  listened  to  the  multitude  of  mingled  voices  as  they  rang  out  in 
the  pure  atmosphere,  but  they  were  scarcely  distinguishable.  In 
another  instant  there  came  a  sound  surpassingly  rich  and  melodious, 
"  like  a  voice  from  the  spirit  land."  It  was  the  plaintive  notes  of  the 
Thrasher,  in  the  boughs  just  above  me,  charming  his  mate  with  a 
love-song  of  bewitching  sweetness. 


tSp" 


396 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


As  the  dew-drops  on  the  drooping  branches  glistened  like  jewels 
in  the  bright  sunlight  of  that  glorious  dawn,  I  barkened  to  the  de- 
lightful strain,  and  a  soft  melancholy  stole  o'er  me,  as  Nature  bade  him 
sing  Her  sweetest  songs.  He  sat  on  a  bough  with  his  brown  and 
speckled  plumage  ruffled  ;  his  wings  and  tail  drooping,  but  his  head  was 
turned  heavenward,  and,  as  his  throat  swelled,  the  wild,  artless  har- 
mony of  this  great  minstrel's  song  echoed  and  re-echoed  throughout 
the  woodland.  He  was  a  rustic  musician,  and  extravagant  with  his 
powers.  At  first  I  thought  his  notes  were  the  r  ;g  of  leaves,  until 
he  burst  forth  with  the  lively  chatter  of  the  Ho  -  Wren ;  then  came 
the  soft,  plaintive  notes  of  the  Bluebird,  followed  by  the  loud  ker-ker- 
ker  of  the  Red-headed  Woodpecker,  and  the  hurried  clucking  of  the 
Golden-wing ;  again  and  again  he  repeated  the  mellow  piping  of  the 
Kildeer  Plover,  which  it  utters  as  it  settles  down  on  a  pebbly  shore. 
Sometimes  his  voice  would  die  away  into  a  liquid  tone  like  the  mur- 
muring of  a  fountain,  when  suddenly  he  would  break  forth  again  into 
the  loud  voice  of  the  Robin  or  the  harsh  notes  of  the  Kingfisher. 

The  songs  of  all  the  birds  of  the  woods  seemed  to  be  within  the 
range  of  his  vocal  powers.  Even  the  subdued  accents  of  the  nuthatch 
as  it  climbs  about  the  trunk  of  a  tree  were  distinctly  uttered,  and  the 
loud,  musical  song  of  the  Tufted  Titmouse  came  from  his  throat  clear 
and  strong.  The  singular  reverberating  song  r  le  Swamp  Black- 
bird seemed  to  be  one  of  his  favorite  melodies,  <  repeating  it  and 
interluding  it  with  his  sweet  ventriloquil  strains  that  sounded  like  the 
trill  of  rippling  waters.  All  of  these,  and  the  flute-like  notes  of  the 
Meadow  Lark,  which  seemed  to  come  a  great  distance  across  the  mead- 
ows, will  never  be  effaced  from  my  memory,  and  as  each  spring  returns 
I  long  for  the  woods  where  I  can  hear  again  his  matchless  voice. 

The  Brown  Thrasher  usually  occupies  a  lofty  position  while  sing- 
ing ;  morning  and  evening  are  the  chosen  hours  for  this  exercise. 

It  is  a  shy,  active  bird  and  when  inhabiting  woods  it  generally 
retires  to  the  most  secluded  parts.  It  loves  the  security  of  dense 
thickets  and  the  .solitude  of  deep  swamps;  at  times  several  of  them 
may  be  seen  running  along  the  fences  catching  insects,  now  and  then 
darting  into  bushy  hedges  or  brush  heaps  to  elude  observation ;  every 
movement  is  accompanied  by  a  graceful  switch  of  the  tail,  and  when 
an  intruder  approaches  near  its  nesting  place  he  is  greeted  with  the 
familiar  alarm  note,  chuck^  chuck.  In  August  its  food  consists  largely 
of  wild  berries  of  which  the  young  seem  to  be  particularly  fond. 

Quite  a  number  of  these  birds  confined  in  cages  have  come  under 
my  observation,  and  strange  to  say  they  never  uttered  a  note*of  song. 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


897 


Even  when  reared  from  the  nest,  and  under  the  most  favorable  con- 
ditions they  were  at  all  times  perfectly  mute,  excepting  that  the  alarm 
note  is  often  sounded.*  When  thus  confined  the  plumage  likewise 
fades;  the  feathers  lose  the  gloss  which  they  have  when  the  bird  is 
in  its  natural  habitation,  and  the  eye  which  was  once  a  bright  orange- 
yellow  has  now  lost  its  fire  and  has  turned  a  pale,  sickly  yellow. 

706.    Harporhynchns  loDgirostrls  sennetti    (Ridgw.)    [13a.] 

Sennett'a  Thrasher,  t 
Hab.    Lower  Rio  Grande  Valley. 

Mr.  Sennett  says  that  the  Texas  Thrasher  is  an  abundant  species 
throughout  the  whole  lyower  Rio  Grande  country,  and  very  abundant. 
It  frequents  shady  thickets,  and  is  rarely  seen  in  the  open  plains.  Dr. 
Merrill  pronounces  it  a  fine  songster,  and  states  that  in  habits  it  scarcely 
differs  from  the  Eastern  bird,  rufus. 

The  eggs,  as  Mr.  Sennett  found  them,  are  usually  four  in  the  first 
clutch  in  April,  while  second  sets,  late  in  May,  contain  generally  three. 
They  are  hardly  distinguishable  from  those  of  H.  rufus.  Dr.  Merrill 
gives  the  average  size  of  fifty-two  eggs  as  1.08  x  .8a,  the  extremes  being 
1. 13 x  .86  and  .97  x  .75. 

707.    Harporhynchus  curvirostrls    (Swains.)    [15.] 

Onrve-bllled  Thraaher. 

Hab.     Mexico,  nor>^  to  Southern  i'exas  and  New  Mexico  (east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains), 

According  t<  Dr.  J.  C.  Merrill  and  Mr.  George  B.  Sennett,  this 
species  is  about  common  as  the  Mockingbird  or  H,  longirostris 
sennetti  ow.  the  Low  Rio  Grande.  It  inhabits  tangled  thickets  as  well  as 
prickly-pear  cactuses  and  mesquite  trees,  which  afford  breeding  resorts. 
In  two  instances  Mr.  Sennett  found  nests  in  ebony  trees  near  much 
frequented  pathways,  and  the  birds  were  as  tame  as  Robins.  The  usual 
height  of  nests  from  the  ground  is  about  four  feet.  Mr.  G.  B.  Beuuers 
found  a  nest  of  this  bird  in  a  Woodpecker's  hole  in  a  live  oak  on  the 
banks  of  the  Rio  Grande.  It  contained  four  eggs.  Dr.  Merrill  says : 
'*  They  are,  as  a  rule,  readily  distinguishable  from  those  of  the  Texas 
Thrasher  and  Mockingbird  by  the  almost  invariable  lining  of  yellow 
straws,  giving  a  peculiar  appearance  to  the  nest.  They  are  also  more 
compactly  built,  are  well  cupped,  and  often  have  the  edges  well  guarded 
by  thorny  twigs."  Mr.  Sennett  states  that  the  bird  commences  to 
breed  in  March  on  the  Rio  Grande,  and  rears  several  broods. 

The  first  eggs  are  laid  in  April,  and  generally  number  four ;   by 

*  Since  the  above  was  written  a  friend  tells  me  that  he  once  had  a  Brown  Thrasher  which  sang  in  con- 
finement, but  in  a  very  subdued  tone,  and  only  when  he  was  not  observed. 

t  Cf.  Ridgway :  Froc.  U.  S.  Nat.  Mas.  X,  Aug  6, 1868,  p.  506.  In  A.  O.  U.  Check  List  this  is  Har- 
porhynchus longirottrit  (Lafr.),  Long-billed  Thrasher. 


^  , 


398 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OP 


the  middle  or  latter  part  of  May  the  second  sets  consist  nearly  always 
of  three.  A  few  sets  of  four  were  found  of  the  second  laying.  Five 
sets  of  these  eggs  are  in  my  cabinet,  taken  near  Camargo,  Mexico,  in 
March,  April  and  May.  They  vary  from  oval-oblong  to  almost  pyri- 
form  in  shape,  and  their  ground-color  is  almost  invariably  light  bluish- 
green,  minutely  speckled  with  reddish-brown.  The  sizes  of  two  sets 
are  as  follows:  i.oix.73,  i.oox.75,  1.02X.79,  i.iox.75;  i.iox.79, 
1. 10 X. 81,  1. 15 x. 83,  1. 13 x. 81.     The  average  size  is  1.08 x. 78. 

107a.    Harporhynclius  curvirostris  palmeri    Ridgw.    [15a.] 

Palmer's  Thrasher. 

Hab.    Southern  Arizona,  southward  into  Sonora  (Guaymas). 

One  of  the  most  common  birds  on  the  cactus  covered  -olains  of 
Arizona.  The  breeding  season  in  some  sections  begins  in  February, 
in  other  localities  early  in  March,  and  generally  two  broods  are  reared 
in  a  season. 

The  nests  are  usually  built  in  the  cholla,  a  kind  of  prickly  cactus, 
at  a  height  of  about  three  to  six  feet.  It  is  composed  of  twigs 
and  lined  with  dry  gra^s ;  sometimes  the  lining  is  mixed  with  hair  or 
feathers  when  procurable. 

According  to  the  observations  of  Mr.  W.  E.  D.  Scott  and  Mr. 
Herbert  Brown,  the  usual  number  of  eggs  laid  by  Palmer's  Thrasher 
is  three,  sometimes  four,  not  infrequently  two  and  rarely  one.  The 
eggs  cannot  with  certainty  be  distinguished  from  those  of  the  Curve- 
billed  Thrasher.  The  sizes  of  a  set  of  eggs  containing  the  smallest 
specimens  in  a  series  of  twenty-one  sets  in  Mr.  Norris'  collection  are, 
1. 10  X  .78,    1.09  x  .78,    1. 13  X  .78  ;    the   largest   1.24  x  .81,    1.20  x  .79, 

1. 16  X  .79. 

708.    Harporhynchus  bendirei    Coues.    [  14a.] 

Bendire's  Thrasher. 

Hab.    Southern  Arizona,  south  into  Sonora  (Guaymas],  casually  northeastward  to  Colorado. 

Captain  Charles  E.  Bendire,  U.  S.  A.,  discovered  this  species  in 
the  vicinity  of  Tucson,  Arizona,  in  1872.  The  bird  inhabits  the  same 
regions  frequented  by  /f.  palmeri  and  crissalis^  with  whom  it  associates. 
Mr.  Scott  states  that  the  song  of  the  male  of  this  species  is  particularly 
beautiful,  and  is  to  be  compared  with  the  best  efforts  of  the  Mocking- 
bird. 

The  nests  are  placed  in  mesquites  and  cactuses,  usually  at  a  height 
of  three  or  four  feet  above  the  ground.  The  colla  cactus  is  their  favorite 
nesting-site.  The  breeding  season  begins  early  in  March,  and  two 
broods  are  generally  reared  in  a  season. 

The  eggs  are  three  or  four,  rarely  two,  in  number.  In  the  exten- 
sive private  collection  of  Mr.  J.  Parker  Norris,  so  frequently  referred 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


399 


to  in  these  pages,  there  is  a  series  of  twenty-nine  sets  of  these  eggs  — 
three  of  two,  nineteen  of  three,  and  seven  of  four.  They  were  nearly 
all  collected  in  the  vicinity  of  Tucson,  Arizona.  The  typical  eggs  are 
greenish-white,  spotted  with  lavender-gray  and  ecru-drab.  The  follow- 
ing are  sizes  often  specimens:  .95X.74,  .98X.69,  .93  x. 71,  .92  x. 70, 
1.01X.76,  1.03  X. 72,  1.01X.76,  1.04  X. 74,  1.05  X. 75,  1.06  X. 79.  The 
average  is  1.02  x  .74. 

709.    Harporhynchus  cinereus    Xantus.    [14.] 

„  ,     ,  St.  Lnoaa  Thrasher. 

Hab.    Lower  California. 

This  Tlirasher  is  confined  to  the  peninsula  of  Lower  California. 
Its  general  habits  are  described  as  being  similar  to  those  of  H.  palmeri 
or  crissalis.  Its  nest  is  a  flat  structure,  with  a  slight  hollow,  and 
usually  built  in  low  trees,  shrubs  and  cactus  plants  about  four  feet  from 
the  ground. 

The  eggs  are  two  or  three  in  number,  and  are  described  as  green- 
ish-white, spotted  with  pale  reddish-brown.     Average  size  1.06 x. 75. 


710. 


[16.] 


H»b. 


Harporhynchus  redivivus    (Gamb.) 

Callfomian  Thrasher* 

Coast  region  of  California,  southward  along  the  Pacific  coast  of  Lower  California. 


This  Thrasher  is  an  abundant  resident  of  the  coast  region  of  Cal- 
ifornia. Mr.  A.  M.  Shields  informs  me  that  its  favorite  haunts  in  Los 
Angeles  county  are  the  scrub  oaks  and  grease-wood  brrish  that  fringe 
deep  mountain  gorges.  It  begins  to  build  toward  the  last  of  April,  and 
by  the  last  of  May  it  is  difficult  to  procure  a  perfectly  fresh  set  of  eggs. 
The  bird,  he  says,  is  a  close  sitter,  often  allowing  one's  hand  to  touch 
it  before  leaving  the  nest. 

The  general  character  of  the  nest  is  a  coarse,  rudely  constructed 
platform  of  sticks,  coarse  grass  and  mosses,  with  but  a  very  slight  de- 
pression. Occasionally,  however,  nests  of  this  bird  are  more  carefully 
and  elaborately  made.     It  is  always  well  hid  in  the  low  scrub  bushes. 

The  usual  complement  of  eggs  is  three,  sometimes  four  and  occa- 
sionally only  two.  They  are  light  greenish-blue,  with  russet-brown 
and  chestnut  spots;  average  size  1.18X.85.  Ten  specimens  meas- 
ure 1. 05  X. 80,  1. 05  X. 82,  1. 02  X. 79,  1. 04  X.  77,  1.08  X. 80,  1. 22  X.  84,  1.2 1 
X.85,  1. 27  X. 82,  1. 28  X. 79,  1.30  X. 84. 

711.    Harporhynchus  lecontoi    (Lawr.)    [i6a.] 

lieoonte's  Thrasher. 

Hab.    Valleys  of  the  Gila  and  Lower  Colorado  Rivers,  south  into  Sonora. 

This  is  the  least  common  of  all  the  Thrashers  in  the  region  which 
it  inhabits,  and  from  all  accounts  it  is  a  very  shy  and  difficult  bird  to 
obtain.    Comparatively  few  of  its  eggs  have  yet  appeared  in  collec- 


I      ■           „';, 

,1 

,  1 

» 
\ 

\ 

400 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


tions.  Mr.  E.  Holterhotf,  Jr.,  discovered  its  nest  and  eggs  at  Flowing 
Wells,  a  station  in  the  middle  of  the  Colorado  Desert,  in  California.* 
In  the  same  region  a  number  of  the  nests  and  eggs  have  been  taken 
by  Mr.  F.  Stephens  and  R.  B.  Herron.  Dr.  Edgar  A.  Mearns,  U.  S.  A., 
met  with  this  bird  in  the  desert  country,  between  Phoenix  and  Casa 
Grande,  Arizona,  f  He  states  that  the  song  of  this  species  is  remark- 
able for  its  loud,  rich  tone,  and  is  at  least  as  fine  as  any  of  the  genus. 
Deserts  of  sand,  "  covered  in  places  with  patches  of  sage-brush  and 
groves  of  choUa  cactuses,  with  a  few  mesquites  and  shrubs  scattered 
along  the  dry  arroyos,"  are  the  favorite  haunts  of  Leconte's  Thrasher. 
A  glance  at  these  bushes  will  usually  suffice  to  detect  the  nest,  as  it  is 
large  and  conspicuous,  except  when  the  shrub  is  bushy.  The  nest  is 
usually  built  near  the  center  of  a  cholla  cactus,  from  one  to  seven  feet 
above  the  ground ;  it  is  likewise  frequently  placed  in  mesquites.  The 
birds  are  close  sitters  and  one  can  approach  within  a  few  yards  before 
they  slip  oflf — which  they  usually  do  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  bush  — 
dropping  to  the  ground  they  run  briskly  and  seek  the  cover  of  the 
surrounding  vegetation,  and  so  adroitly  conceal  themselves  that  it  is 
almost  impossible  to  detect  them.  The  nest  is  composed  of  twigs, 
grasses  and  weeds  lined  with  feathers.  The  breeding  season  begins  in 
March,  and,  according  to  Mr.  Herrou's  obsers^ations,  some  at  least  very 
likely  begin  laying  in  February. 

The  eggs  are  three  or  four  in  numbe.'-,  greenish-blue,  faintly 
speckled,  chiefly  at  the  larger  end,  with  cinnamon-rufous  or  yellow- 
ish-brown. Some  specimens  have  large  blotches  on  the  surface.  The 
general  shape  of  the  eggs  is  elongated-oval.  The  sizes  of  a  set  con- 
taining four  eggs  collected  on  May  24,  1883,  in  San  Gorgonia  Pass, 
California,  by  Mr.  Herron,  are  1.13X.75,  1.07 x. 77,  1.08 x. 77,  1.14X.75. 
The  average  is  1.07  x  .76. 

712.    Harporhynchus  crissalis    (Henry)    [17.] 

CrlMal  Thrasher. 

Hab.  New  Mexico,  Arizona,  Southern  Utah,  Southeastern  California  and  northern  portion  of  Lower 
California. 

This  is  a  common  species  in  suitable  localities  throughout  New 
Mexico,  Arizona  and  Southeastern  California.  Dr.  Mearns  states  that 
it  is  abundant  all  over  the  Verde  River  bottom  lands,  preferring  mes- 
quite  thickets  and  the  vicinity  of  streams.  He  says  it  is  one  of  the 
few  birds  that  truly  sing ;  and  it  shares,  in  Arizona,  this  tare  gift  with  its 
congeners — Bendire's,  Palmers  and  Leconte's  Thrashers.     Its  song  is 

*  Described  in  the  American  Naturalist,  XV  March,  1881;  for  fuller  accouat  Cf.  Bull.  Nutt.  Ornith. 
Club,  VIII,  4S-49. 

t  For  an  extended  historical  account,  togethei  with  full  details  of  the  habits  of  H,  Itcontti  and  crittalit, 
see  Dr.  Mearns'  article,  "Some  Arizona  Birds''  in  1'he  Auk,  III,  pp. 289- 807. 


DWing 
rnia.* 
taken 

1  Casa 
mark- 
jenus. 
h  and 
ttered 
asher. 
s  it  is 
Lest  is 
n  feet 
The 
before 
ush  — 
3f  the 
t  it  is 
twigs, 
ins  in 
t  very 

"aintly 
ellow- 
The 
t  con- 
Pass, 

X.75- 


■  Lower 

New 
that 
mes- 
the 
hits 
WS  is 

rnith. 
Utalu, 


\  H 
\ 


Co^rigkt  iSSb. 


PLATE  Xfl. 


AMERICAN   WATER   OUZELS   OR   DIPPERS   AND   NEST. 

(Cinc/ui  iiie.xicanus ) 


PA(iE  31)2. 


.  -I' 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


401 


remarkable  for  its  scope  and  sweetness,  having  all  the  power  of  the 
Mockingbird,  singing  from  the  tops  of  the  tallest  bushes  in  the  same 
attitude  as  the  Brown  Thrasher  of  the  East.  Like  the  rest  of  the 
Thrashers  it  is  highly  terrestrial,  and  runs  swiftly  on  the  ground  fromi 
bush  to  bush,  often  jetting  its  long  tail  upward,  more  or  less  above  the 
horizontal.  They  breed  about  the  same  time  as  Bendire's  Thrashers, 
Mr.  Scott  found  eggs  in  the  Catalina  Mountains  of  Arizona  during  the 
first  week  in  April  that  were  about  ready  to  be  hatched,  and  young 
birds  fully  fledged  were  observed  as  early  as  May  i.  Dr.  Mearns  saw 
young  birds  that  were  strong  on  the  wing  by  the  end  of  April.  Two 
broods  are  reared,  and  the  number  of  eggs  laid,  so  far  as  I  am  able  to 
ascertain,  is  usually  three,  sometimes  four.  Dr.  Mearns  discovered,  on 
June  14,  a  nest  placed  upon  a  horizontal  bough  of  a  large  mesquite 
bush  containing  two  eggs,  and  in  two  days  later  it  contained  four  eggs. 
The  proprietors  of  this  nest  divided  their  attention  between  the  care 
of  their  nest  and  a  family  of  young  not  yet  able  to  shift  for  themselves. 
The  nests,  placed  in  bushes,  are  large  conspicuous  objects,  rudely  con- 
structed of  coarse  twigs ;  the  inner  nest  is  made  of  finer  vegetable 
materials. 

The  eggs  are  pale  greenish-blue,  unmarked.  Two  sets  containing 
three  eggs  each  in  Mr.  Norris'  cabinet  were  collected  in  Arizona,  near 
Tucson,,  April  10,  1884,  and  at  Sacton,  April  12,  1885.  These  measure 
I. II  X. 74,  1.09  X  .73,  1. 13  X  .73;  I. ID  X. 73,  1. 16  X. 77,  1. 14  X. 76.  The 
average  size  is  1.08  x  .75. 

713.    Campylorhynchus  brunneicapillus    (Lafr.)    [56.] 

Caotna  Wren. 

Hab.  Southwestern  border  of  the  United  States,  from  Southern  Texas  to  the  coast  of  Southern 
California;  south  into  Northern  and  Central  Mexico. 

A  common  bird  in  the  cactus  and  chaparral  regions  of  Texas^ 
New  Mexico,  Arizona,  Southern  Utah,  Nevada,  and  Southern  Cali- 
fornia. As  its  name  implies,  cactus  groves  are  its  favorite  haunts.  In 
these,  and  other  thorny  shrubs,  its  nest  is  placed,  which  is  a  very  large 
and  purse-shaped  affair  with  an  entrance  at  one  end.  It  is  composed 
of  little  thorns  and  grasses,  and  lined  with  feathers.  Mr.  Shields  states 
that  in  Los  Angeles  county,  California,  there  is  no  grove  of  cactus  along 
the  foothills  without  these  Wrens.  He  has  often  found  from  four  to 
ten  nests  in  a  bed  of  carti  not  more  than  a  dozen  yards  square. 
Three  broods  are  probably  reared,  as  fresh  eggs  may  be  found  from  the 
middle  of  April  to  the  last  of  July. 

The  eggs  are  generally  five,  sometimes  four,  and  oc(^asionally  only 
three.  They  are  white  or  creamy  in  ground-color,  which  is  thickly 
covered  with  rich,  reddish-brown  spots  or  specks,  giving  to  the  entire 

27 


402 


NESTS   AND   EGGS  OF 


egg  a  beautiful  rich  salmon-colored  hue.  Ten  eggs  selected  out  of 
fifteen  sets  give  the  following  measurements  :  .86  x  62,  .89  x  .62,  .9.3  x 
.63,  .90  X  .60,  .94  X  .67,  .96  X  .67,  .95  X  .66,  .94  X  .69,  .95  X  .67,  .98  X  .69. 
The  average  size  is  .97  x  .65.     Their  general  shape  is  oblong-oval. 

714.    Campylorhynchus  afflnis    Xantus    [57.] 

Sti  Lnoaa  Cactus  Wren. 

Hab.  Southern  portion  of  Lower  California. 

The  habits,  nesting  and  eggs  of  this  species  are  identical  with 
those  of  the  last. 

715.    Salpinctes  obsoletns    (Say)    [58.] 

Rook  Wren. 

Hab.  Arid  regions  of  Western  United  State^i  from  the  Great  Plains  to  the  Pacific,  south  through 
Mexico  to  Northern  Central  America. 

This  is  a  more  or  less  common  species  in  the  dry,  rocky  regions 
of  Western  United  States.  Mr.  Scott  says  that  in  the  Catalina  Moun- 
tains of  Arizona  they  begin  to  breed  about  the  middle  of  March ;  six 
or  eight  young  are  the  common  inmates  of  the  nest,  and  two  broods 
are  reared.  Mr.  Emerson  found  this  species  to  be  quite  common  on 
the  Farallon  Islands,  and  it  is  the  only  land  bird  which  is  resident. 
They  were  found  all  over  the  South  Farallon,  building  in  suitable 
crevices  a  nest  of  Farallon  weed,  lining  it  with  chicken  feathers  and 
hair  shed  from  the  island  mule. 

The  nest  is  usually  built  in  a  rift  of  rocks,  or  on  the  ground  be- 
neath some  shelving  rock.  It  is  composed  of  a  mass  of  material,  very 
miscellaneous  in  character,  sometimes  a  single  substance,  but  a  variety 
of  materials  are  more  generally  used,  such  as  sticks,  bark-strips,  weeds, 
grasses,  moss,  hair,  wool,  etc.  A  curious  habit  of  the  Rock  Wren  is 
that  of  paving  the  ground  about  the  entrance  of  the  nest  with  pebbles, 
or  bits  of  rock  and  glass.  On  the  Farallons  small  pieces  of  coal,  mus- 
sel shells,  and  small  bones  of  sea-birds  and  rabbits  are  used  for  this 
purpose.  Mr.  Fred  Corey,  of  Santa  Paula,  California,  informs  me 
that  he  found  a  nest  with  four  eggs  of  this  bird  under  the  rafters  of  a 
house. 

Five  and  six  eggs  constitute  an  average  set,  and  seven,  eight,  or 
nine  are  sometimes  deposited.  Mr.  Emerson  found  one  nest  with  ten 
eggs,  two  of  which  were  fresh  and  the  others  in  various  stages  of  incu- 
bation. The  eggs  are  pure  glossy  white,  finely  and  sparsely  speckled 
with  reddish-brown,  chiefly  at  the  larger  end.  Mr.  Norris  has  two 
sets  taken  on  the  Farallons,  June  16  and  23,  1886 ;  they  contain  six 
and  eight  eggs  respectively  and  measure  .70X.56,  .73  x  .56,  .71  x  .56, 
.69  X  .56,  .69  X  .56 ;  .74  X  .59,  .72  X  .57,  .74  x  .58,  .76  x  .58,  .75  x  .58,  .75  X 
.58,  .76  X  .59,  .75  X  .59.     Another  set  collected  in  Rio  Grande  county, 


J 

IS  m 
P 


NORTH  AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


408 


Colorado,  May  29,  1885,  consists  of  six  eggs ;   these  measure  .74  x  .59 
.69  X  54,  .71  X  .58,  .70  X  .56,  .73  X  .59,  .71  X  .58. 

716.    Salpinctes  guadelonpensis    Ridgw.    [58a.] 

Ouadalnpe  Rook  Wren. 

Hab.     Guadalupe  Island,  Lower  California. 

Mr.  Walter  E.  Bryant  states  that  this  is  undoubtedly  the  most 
common  of  the  birds  on  Guadalupe  Island,  distributed  from  the  beach 
to  the  summit,  but  found  most  numerous  on  the  upper  and  central 
portions.  They  are  first  to  begin  nesting.  A  few  birds  began  the  con- 
struction of  their  nests  in  December,  and  one  had  her  work  nearly 
completed  on  the  25th  of  December,  1885.  Four  fresh  eggs  were 
found  in  it  on  January  17.  The  breeding  season,  strictly  speaking, 
Mr.  Bryant  says,  extends  from  the  middle  of  January  through  the 
month  of  March.  "  Nests  were  found  in  cavities  of  immense  bould- 
ers, under  rocks,  in  fallen  and  decayed  trunks  of  cypress  trees,  the 
latter  location  being  apparently  a  favorite  one.  But  wherever  the 
nests  were  located  the  passages  leading  to  them  were,  with  one  or  two 
exceptions,  paved  with  flat  pebbles  ranging  in  size  from  a  Lima  bean  to 
a  half  dollar.  Fully  a  quart  of  these  pebbles  were  removed  from  the 
entrance  to  a  nest  built  in  a  boulder  at  a  height  of  four  feet,  where, 
at  some  previous  time,  other  birds  had  evidently  built  and  accumu- 
lated their  share  of  the  pavement.  As  a  rule,  scarcely  an  ordinary 
handful  of  stones  is  used."  The  nest  is  built  to  conform  to  the  size 
and  shape  of  the  cavity  which  it  occupies;  it  is  made  of  fine  dry 
grasses  and  lined  with  goat  hair. 

The  eggs  are  usually  four,  though  sometimes  five  in  number,  and 
resemble,  both  in  color  and  shape,  those  of  the  common  Rock 
Wren,  5".  obsoletus.  Set  No.  781  in  Mr.  Bryant's  collection  measures 
17x14,  17x14.5,  18x14.5,  18.5x14.5,  millimeters.*  Set  No.  782 
measures  in  millimeters,  19  x  14,  19  x  14,  19.5  x  14.5,  19.5  x  14.5,  19.5  x 
i5.t  The  two  largest  eggs  in  a  series  of  fifty-five  specimens  measures 
21x15  mm.  and  20x16  mm.  respectively;  the  two  smallest  17x14 
mm ;  average  19  x  14  mm.J 

l\la.    Catherpes  mexicanus  conspersus    Ridgw.    [59a.] 

Canon  Wren. 

Hab.  Southwestern  United  States,  from  Western  Texas,  Colorado,  etc.,  to  the  Pacific,  north  to  South- 
ern Idaho  and  Oregon;  south  to  Mexico  boundary  and  Lower  California.^ 

The  rocky  canons  of  the  mountain  regions  throughout  its  range 
are  the  home  of  this  species.     It  is  easily  recognized  by  its  white 

■>.67x  .55,  .67x  .57,  .71  x  .57,  .73  x  .57. 
t.75  X  .55,  .75  X  .55,  .77  X  .57,  .77  x  .55,  .77  x  .59. 
^Largest  .83 x. 66  and  .79x  .63;  smallest  .67x  .55;  average  .75 x  .55. 

gWithin  this  habitat  our  text  includes  the  Dotted  Canon  Wren,  a  new  subspecies,  Cathtrpet  mtxi- 
canut /iinctulaius,  Ridgw.,  inhabiting  California,  Lower  California,  Arizona  and  New  Mexico. 


404 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


throat  and  rich  yellowish-brown  tail,  and  by  its  notes, —  a  peculiar 
insect-like  chirp,  and  a  delightful  clear  whistling  song.  The  nest  of  the 
Canon  Wren  is  generally  built  in  some  deserted  tunnel  or  cave,  in  holes 
in  bluffs,  and  at  times  in  unused  buildings.  It  is  frequently  placed  on 
some  projecting  ledge  or  shelf.  Mr.  H.  D.  Minot  found  a  nest  of  this 
bird  containing  five  fresh  eggs  near  Manitou,  Colorado,  on  June  8, 
1880.  It  was  placed  in  the  roof  of  a  cave,  about  ten  feet  from  the 
ground  in  a  niche  or  pocket  with  a  narrow  vertical  opening.  The 
stones  being  broken  away  revealed  the  nest  which  rested  on  the  bot- 
tom slab.  In  appearance  the  structure  resembled  that  of  the  Eastern 
Wood  Pewee,  being  composed  of  twigs,  stalks,  bits  of  leaves,  thickly 
felted  with  down  silk  and  feathers.  Mr.  Scott  says  that  in  Southern 
Arizona  three  broods  are  generally  reared  each  season.  The  eggs  are 
from  four  to  six  in  number.  Mr.  G.  B.  Benners  found  this  species 
nesting  on  the  rocky  side  of  a  dry  river  bed  in  Comal  county,  Texas, 
and  on  April  10  took  a  set  of  five  eggs. 

The  eggs  are  white,  speckled  with  lavender-gray  and  vinaceous- 
nifous ;  in  some  specimens  the  markings  are  chiefly  at  the  larger  ends, 
where  they  often  form  indistinct  wreaths.  Three  sets  in  Mr.  Norris' 
cabinet  are  from  Comal  county,  Texas ;  one  of  four  taken  March  20, 
1884,  measures  .70  x  .54,  .71  x  .54,  .73  x  .52,  .78  x  .52 ;  another  collected 
March  25,  1887,  contains  five  eggs;  sizes,  .78X.57,  .76X.56,  .69  x  .55, 
•75  X  .56,  .76  X  .56 ;  the  third  is  of  five  eggs  :  .71  x  .54,  .71  x  .54,  .74  x  .55, 
.70  X  .54,  .71  x  .54  ;  average  .72  x  .53. 

718.    Thryothorus  ludovicianus    (Lath.)    [60.] 

Carolina  Wren. 

Hab.  Eastern  United  States  except  Southeastern  Florida  (rare  toward  the  northern  border,)  west 
to  the  edge  of  the  Great  Plains;  Mv-v^h  to  gulf  coast,  including  Northeastern  Mexico.  Rare  in  Southern 
New  England. 

A  common  and  well  known  bird  in  the  more  southern  portion  of 
its  range,  being  rare  or  local  north  of  latitude  40°.  It  may  be  found 
almost  everywhere,  but  shady  ravines,  wooded  and  rocky  banks  of 
streams,  piles  of  logs  and  brush-heaps  are  its  favorite  haunts.  The 
Carolina  Wren  has  a  loud,  rich  song,  which  it  pours  forth  while 
mounted  on  the  end  of  a  fence  rail,  top  of  a  stump,  or  the  topmost 
branch  of  a  tree.  The  song  is  repeated  most  frequently,  and  with  more 
vehemence  during  the  mating  season,  which  is  early  in  spring.  Breed- 
ing begins  in  the  latter  part  of  March  or  early  in  April,  and  two,  some- 
times three,  broods  are  reared  in  a  season. 

The  typical  nest  of  this  bird  in  Central  Ohio,  where  it  is  a  common 
resident,  is  a  massive,  coarse  structure,  made  of  strips  of  corn-stalks, 
grasses,  hay  and  leaves,  with  an  intermixture  of  the  silk  of  corn ;  the 


■P!?^ 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


405 


lining  is  of  chicken  feathers,  fine,  dry  grasses  and  horse  hair.  The 
bird  is  not  particular  as  to  the  situation  of  its  nest.  It  is  found  in  holes 
of  trees,  in  wood-piles,  and  in  low  bushes ;  sometimes  in  the  nook  or 
corner  of  a  barn  ;  occasionally  in  a  box,  placed  in  the  verandas  of  dwell- 
ings in  retired  places ;  often  under  an  accumulation  of  brush-wood. 
Sometimes  the  nests  are  arched  over  or  dome-shaped,  the  opening  being 
only  large  enough  to  admit  the  bird. 

The  number  of  eggs  laid  ranges  from  four  to  six,  and  the  average 
size  of  twenty  specimens  is  .74X  .61 ;  a  common  size  is  .72  x  .56.  The 
ground-color  of  the  eggs  varies  from  a  whitish  to  creamy-white  or 
salmon-buflF;  this  is  thickly  sprinkled  with  a  brownish-pink,  and  so 
heavily  laid  on  in  some  specimens  that  the  surface  has  this  same  ap- 
pearance. Some,  however,  are  marked  more  heavily  at  the  larger  end. 
T.  I.  miamensis  Ridgw.  is  found  in  Southeastern  Florida. 

719.    Thryothorus  bewickii    (Aud.)    [61.] 

Bewick's  Wren. 

Hab.  Eastern  United  States,  rare  or  local  easc  of  the  Alleghanies  and  north  of  40\  west  to  th« 
border  of  the  Great  Plains.     Winters  in  the  more  Southern  States. 

Bewick's  or  the  Long-tailed  House  Wren  is  a  common  species  in 
Eastern  United  States,  particularly  southerly ;  breeding  from  latitude 
40°  southward.  In  some  places  in  the  interior  it  replaces  the  common 
House  Wren.     It  is  not  common  on  the  Atlantic  coast. 

Nests  of  this  bird  are  placed  anywhere  —  in  boxes,  holes,  fence- 
posts,  brush-heaps,  stumps,  hollow  trees,  barns,  sheds,  etc.  Dr.  Howard 
E.  Jones,  who  obtained  the  first  specimens  of  nests  and  eggs  of  this 
species  ever  taken  in  Ohio,  has  the  following  in  his  text  of  the  mag- 
nificent work,  "  Illustrations  of  the  Nests  and  Eggs  of  the  Birds  of 
Ohio":  "  The  nest  and  eggs  of  Bewick's  Wren  resemble  very  closely 
some  specimens  of  the  House  Wren's  in  size  and  shape,  and,  except  in 
size,  approach  even  closer  to  those  of  the  Great  Carolina  Wren.  The 
nest  alone  would  be  difficult  to  distinguish  from  uncovered  nests  of 
T.  cedotty  but  the  eggs  are  not  nearly  so  thickly  marked.  Normal  spec- 
imens of  each  can  be  always  difierentiated.  The  House  Wren,  how- 
ever, sometimes  lays  eggs  very  similar  to  typical  eggs  of  Bewick's 
Wren. 

"  The  complement  of  eggs  varies  from  four  to  six  or  seven.  They 
measure  in  long  diameter  from  .60  to  .68,  and  in  short  diameter  from 
.48  to  .54.  A  common  size  is  .49  x  .64.  They  are  spotted  and  speckled 
with  reddish-brown,  sparingly  about  the  point,  but  plentiful  toward  the 
crown,  where  the  marks  are  often  confluent,  forming  a  wreath.  The 
deep  shell-marks  are  purplish." 


f 


'■'M 


''!,! 


:' 


1 


i 


406  NESTS  AND  EGGS  OK 

719«.    Thryothoms  bewickli  spilurus    (Vig.)    [6ia.] 

vigors'*  IVreii. 

Hab.  Pacific  coait  district,  from  British  Columbia  southward  to  Lower  California  and  Western 
Mexico. 

The  general  habits  and  nests  of  this  subspecies  are  identical  with 
those  of  Bewick's  Wren.  The  eggs  are  white,  finely  speckled  with 
chestnut  and  lavender-gray.  In  remote  regions  it  frequently  nests  in 
crevices  of  rocks.     Eggs,  .64  x  .50. 

719^.    Thryothorus  bewickli  bairdi    (Salv.  &  Godm.)    [6i<J.] 

Baird'a  Wren. 

Hab.    Southern  and  Western  Texas,  New  Mexico,  Arizona,  south  to  Southern  Utah,  Colorado  and 
Middle  Kansas,  south  into  Mexico. 

This  is  a  common  bird  in  various  parts  of  Southwestern  United 
States,  as  in  Western  and  Southern  Texas,  New  Mexico,  Arizona,  etc. 
According  to  Col.  Goss,  it  is  not  uncommon  in  Southwestern  Kansas. 
It  was  found  common  in  the  Lower  Rio  Grande  by  Dr.  Merrill  and  Mr. 
Sennett.  Mr.  Scott  met  with  it  in  Southern  Arizona.  The  only  nests 
he  found  were  built  in  natural  hollows,  or  deserted  Woodpeckers'  holes 
in  live  oak  trees.  Dr.  Merrill  states  that  this  bird  has  a  great  variety 
of  notes,  the  principal  song  being  much  like  that  of  the  Song  Sparrow, 
but  sweeter. 

The  nest  of  this  Wren,  besides  being  built  in  Woodpeckers'  ex- 
cavations and  natural  cavities  of  trees,  is  likewise  placed  in  hollow  logs, 
under  brush-heaps,  or  in  any  nook  or  corner  about  a  deserted  building, 
and,  when  in  a  cavity,  the  space  which  it  occupies  is  generally  well 
filled  with  roots,  straws  and  grasses,  lined  with  fur  or  feathers.  The 
nest  is  also  frequently  built  among  the  twigs  of  dense  thorny  bushes. 
Two  or  three  broods  are  reared  in  a  season. 

The  eggs  are  usually  five  to  seven  in  number,  white,  speckled 
with  chestnut  or  reddish-brown  and  lavender-gray,  heavier  at  the  larger 
ends,  and  massed  there  in  distinct,  broad  bands.  Three  sets  of  these 
eggs  from  Comal  county,  Texas,  are  in  Mr.  Norris'  cabinet ;  two  of 
seven  eggs  each  were  taken  April  4  and  25,  respectively  ;  the  third, 
containing  five  eggs,  was  collected  June  21.  The  sizes  by  sets  in  their 
order  are  as  follows:  .65X.50,  .64X.49,  .64K.49,  .68X.50,  .65X.49, 
.63  X  .48,  .65  X  .50 ;  .71X.51,  .71X.50,  .69X.51,  .71X.51,  .70X.52,  .72X 
.52,  .7IX-52;  .65X.50,  .66X.51,  .64X.52,  .66X.53,  .67X.52;  average 
.64  X  .46. 

721.    Troglodytes  aedon    Vieill    [63.] 

Honae  Wren. 

Hab.  Eastern  United  States  and  Southern  Canada,  west  to  the  Mississippi  Valley  (Michigan  to 
Louisiana);  winters  in  southern  portions. 

A  common  and  well  known  bird  in  Eastern  United  States,  it 
builds  its  nest  under  the  eaves  of  houses,  in  corners  of  the  barn, 


-      t 


NORTH   AMERICAN    BIRDS. 


407 


martin-boxes,  hollow  in  trees,  and,  in  fact,  they  are  found  nesting  in 
every  conceivable  cavity  or  crevice.  The  nest  is  composed  ol  a  mass 
of  miscellaneous  rubbish,  sticks,  grasses,  hay  and  other  convenient 
materials.  If  a  box  or  cavity  holds  half  a  peck  the  little  birds  will  fill 
it  full.  The  nesting  season  begins  early  in  May,  and  two  or  three 
broods  are  generally  reared.  Mr.  h.  O.  Pindar,  of  Hickman,  Kentucky, 
informs  me  that  he  saw  a  pair  of  these  birds  nesting  on  the  ground 
under  the  floor  of  a  barn,  which  was  elevated  four  or  five  inches,  and 
another  pair  had  their  nest  in  a  paper  bag  full  of  hops,  hanging  in  a 
neighbor's  porch.  It  has  been  found  nesting  in  the  skulls  of  horses  and 
oxen  lying  in  grassy  fields.  Mr.  George  B.  Senuett  and  Dr.  B.  H.Warren 
found  a  pair  breeding  in  a  Kingfisher's  hole  in  a  sand-bank,  near  Erie, 
Pennsylvania,  August  i,  1888.* 

The  eggs  are  white,  so  thickly  dotted  with  reddish-brown  as  to 
nearly  conceal  the  ground-color  with  a  light  tinge  of  purple;  they  are 
nearly  spherical  to  oblong-oval  in  shape.  The  eggs  are  usually  seven, 
sometimes  nine,  measuring  .64X.52,  with  great  variations  in  this 
respect. 

721a.    Troglodytes  aedon  parkmanii    (  Aud.)    [  63a.] 

Parkman's  IVren* 

Hab.  Western  United  States,  east  to  the  Mississippi  Valley  (Minnesota,  Illinois,  etc.),  south  into 
Mexico. 

According  to  Mr.  J.  A.  Allen,  the  tnie  parkmann  is  a  Northwest 
coast  form,  typically  represented  in  the  coast  region  of  Oregon  and 
Washington  Territory,  and  less  typically  southward  along  the  coast 
to  Lower  California,  f  The  smaller  and  paler  form,  T.  aedon  aziecus 
Baird,  is  the  one  now  given  as  inhabiting  Western  United  States  (ex- 
cept the  Pacific  coast),  east  to  Illinois,  etc.,  south  into  Mexico. 

The  nesting,  eggs,  and  entire  general  habits  of  parkmanii  corres- 
pond exactly  with  those  of  the  House  Wren  of  the  East.  Mr.  Walier 
E.  Bryant  states  that  Parkman's  Wren  has  been  known  to  build  in  the 
skull  of  a  horse,  which  had  been  placed  in  a  fruit  tree,  in  the  nests  of 
Cliff  Swallows,  and  within  an  old  shoe  lodged  in  a  tree. 

722.    Troglodytes  Memalis    Vieill    [65.] 

Winter  'Wren. 

Hab.  Eastern  North  America,  breeding  from  northern  border  of  the  United  States  northward;  win- 
tering from  its  southern  breeding  limit  southward. 

The  Winter  Wren  breeds  from  Northern  United  States  northward. 
A  number  of  records  are  at  hand  of  its  breeding  in  Southern  New 
York,  in  Maine,  New  Hampshire,  and  Vermont.  The  late  Dr.  Wheatou 
took  young  birds  of  this  species  in  Central  Ohio  whose  plumage  indi- 

*  Cf.  Sennett,  Auk,  VI,  76. 
t  C/.  Allen,  Auk,  V,  161. 


Mi 


408 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


cated  they  had  shortly  left  the  nest.  He  was  of  the  opinion  that  the 
bird  breeds  in  Northern  Ohio.  Mr.  Mcllwraith  states  that  a  few  re- 
main to  breed  in  suitable  places  throughout  Ontario.  Mr.  Wm.  h. 
Kells  found  it  breeding  in  wet  woods  of  Central  Ontario,  nesting  in 
cavities  in  the  roots  of  upturned  trees.  While  the  general  habits  of 
this  bird  are  much  like  thosie  of  the  House  Wren,  its  song,  from  all 
accounts,  during  the  breeding  season,  is  entirely  different  — "  a  soul 
vibrating,  gushing  melody,  which  calls  forth  the  sweetest  woodland 
echoes."  The  nest  of  this  diminutive  Wren  is  placed  in  hollows  of 
low  stumps  in  wet  places,  in  crevices  of  unoccupied  buildings,  in 
the  tangled  piles  of  fallen  trees  and  branches.  It  is  composed  of 
small  twigs  with  moss  and  leaves  interwoven,  and  warmly  lined  with 
feathers  of  hawks,  crows,  grouse,  or  any  that  are  at  hand.  The  eggs 
are  laid  as  early  as  the  middle  of  May  or  in  June,  and  two  broods  are 
reared.  Mr.  Kells  says  that  the  birds  will  at  once  forsake  a  nest  that 
has  been  touched  by  human  hand. 

The  eggs  are  four,  five,  or  six  in  number,  clear  white  in  ground 
color,  spotted  with  reddish-brown  and  purple,  chiefly  at  the  larger 
ends.     Average  size  .69  x  .49. 

722a.    Troglodytes  hiemalis  paciflcus    Baird    [65a.] 

Western  Winter  Wren. 

Hab.  Pacific  coast  region  from  Sitka  to  Southern  California;  south  in  winter  to  Western  Mexico; 
«ast  to  Eastern  Orcfon,  Nevada,  etc. 

This  subspecies  breeds  from  the  southern  coast  ranges  of  Cali- 
fornia north  to  Sitka.  Habits,  nesting  and  eggs  like  those  of  T. 
hiemalis  of  the  East.     Eggs  .60  x  .48. 

724.     Cistothorus  stellaris    (Light.)    [68  ] 

Short-billed  Mamh  Wren. 

Hab.  Eastern  United  States  and  Southern  British  Provinces,  west  to  the  Great  Plains.  Winters  in 
the  Gulf  States  and  southward. 

The  reedy  swamps,  fresh  water  marshes  and  meadows  of  Eastern 
United  States  are  the  summer  home  of  the  Short-billed  Marsh  Wren. 
Breeds  abundantly  in  Western  Manitoba,  and  occasionally  in  the  south- 
ern portions  of  its  range,  but  chiefly  north  of  latifn'lp  "  Colonel 
Goss   states  that  it  possibly  breeds  in    Kan?- -       -d  srs.  Keyes 

and  Williams  give  it  as  a  rather  comn^  n  sn  ..         it  of  Iowa. 

Dr.  Agersborg  has  recorded  it  as  a  rare  .  utb      tern  Dako- 

ta. The  Short-billed  Marsh  Wren  is  a  .^  imer  udent  of  Ohio,  but 
"here,  as  is  the  case  elsewhere,  it  is  not  so  abund  it  as  the  Long-billed 
species. 

The  nest  corresponds  to  that  of  the  Long-billed,  but  no  muc  a 
used  in  its  construction.     It  is  built  in  the  midst  of  a  tussc '      f 


NORTH   AMERICAN    BIRDS. 


409 


coarse,  high  grass,  the  tops  of  which  are  ingeniously  interwoven  into  a 
coarse  and  strong  covering,  spherical  in  shape,  and  closed  on  every 
side,  except  one  small  aperture  left  for  entrance.  The  strong,  wiry 
grass  of  the  tussock  is  also  interwoven  with  finer  materials,  making  the 
whole  impervious  to  the  weather.  The  inner  nest  is  composed  of 
grasses  and  fine  sedges,  lined  with  soft  vegetable  down.  Several  nests 
are  frequently  built  by  a  single  pair  of  birds  but  not  more  than  one  is 
used. 

The  eggs  are  six  to  eight  in  number,  are  pure  white,  unmarked, 
and  average  .64X.50.  A  set  of  six  in  Mr.  Norris'  cabinet  was  taken 
in  Iowa  county,  Iowa,  July  19,  1886;  they  measure  .59X.49,  .67X.47, 
.63  X  .46,  .61  X  .46,  .62  X  .46,  .61  X  .47. 

725.    Cistothorus  palustris    (Wils.)    [67.] 

LouK-bllled  Marah  Wren. 

Hab.     Eastern  United  States  and  British  Provinces,  wintering  in  the  Gulf  States. 

The  Long-billed  Marsh  Wren  is  a  common  species  in  swampy 
places  and  salt  marshes  throughout  Eastern  United  States,  where  it 
breeds  in  colonies  of  greater  or  less  extent.  The  nest  is  globular,  or 
somewhat  the  shape  of  a  cocoanut,  very  conspicuous  by  its 
bulk  and  its  exposed  position.  It  is  built  of  grasses  and  reeds 
closely  interwoven  and  often  plastered  with  mud,  securely  fastened  to 
the  upright  swaying  reeds  or  cat-tails ;  it  is  lined  with  fine  grasses,  has 
a  hole  on  one  side,  sometimes  nearer  the  bottom  than  the  top.  A 
single  pair  of  these  birds  will  often  build  several  nests,  only  one  of 
which  is  ever  used. 

The  eggs  range  from  five  to  nine  in  number,  usually  five  or  six ; 
they  are  very  dark  colored,  being  so  thickly  marked  with  brown  as  to 
appear  of  a  uniform  chocolate  color ;  average  size  .64  x  .45,  with  con- 
siderable variation. 

**    Cistothorus  palustris  paludicola    Baird.    [67a.] 

Tnle  Wren. 

Hab,  Western  United  States,  east  to  the  Rocky  Mountains,  south  to  Northern  Central  America 
(Guatemala.)       • 

The  nesting  and  eggs  of  this  Western  form  of  the  Long-billed 
Marsh  Wren  are  the  same  as  those  of  C.  palustris  of  the  Eastern 
States.  It  nests  more  generally  among  the  tules,  more  rarely  among 
the  flags.  Mr.  Bryant  makes  note  of  a  nest  found  in  California  which 
contained  eggs  and  was  woven  among  the  almost  leafless  branches  of  a 
young  willow,  five  feet  above  a  fresh  water  marsh.  The  false  nests 
were  built  as  usual,  but  in  the  coarse  grass  near  by. 


410 


NESTS   AND   EGGS   OF 


726.    Gerthia  familiaris  amerlcana    (Bonap)    [55.] 


Broira  Oreeper. 

Hab.  Eastern  North  America,  breeding  from  northern  border  of  United  States  northward,  and  in 
higher  mountain  districts. 

The  little  Brown  Creeper  breeds  from  the  northern  border  of  the 
United  States  northward,  and  is  seen  in  most  of  its  United  States 
range  during  the  fall,  winter,  and  early  spring.  A  resident  through- 
out New  England,  but  more  abundant  in  the  northern  portion.  Mr. 
William  Brewster  has  given  us  the  best  account  of  the  breeding 
habits  of  this  bird  in  the  heavy  timbered  region  bordering  on  Lake 
Umbagog,  Western  Maine.*  The  nest  of  the  Brown  Creeper  is  built 
behind  loose  bark  of  dead  tre  "^-trunks  or  stumps.  All  of  the  nests 
examined  by  Mr.  Brewster  were  similar  in  construction,  and  the  sites 
chosen  were  of  a  uniform  character.  In  every  instance  the  nest  was 
placed  in  a  balsam  fir,  though  spruce,  birch,  or  elm  stubs  were  more 
numerous.  Within  the  loose  scale  of  bark  was  crammed  a  mass  of 
twigs  and  other  rubbish ;  upon  this  was  the  finer  bark  of  various 
trees,  with  an  intermixture  of  a  little  usnea  moss  and  a  number  cf 
spiders'  cocoons.  Mr.  Brewster  obtained  eggs  from  the  31st  of  May 
to  June  23. 

The  eggs  are  five  to  eight  in  number,  white  or  creamy-white, 
speckled  or  spotted  with  hazel  or  reddish-brown,  chiefly  at  or  around 
the  larger  end,  often  in  the  form  of  wreaths.  A  set  of  six  eggs  in 
Mr.  Norris'  cabinet  collected  by  Mr.  Brewster  in  Oxford  county, 
Maine,  June  5,  1879,  exhibits  the  following  sizes:  .58 x  .46,  .58 x  .45, 
.57X.45,  .57X.45,  .58X.46,  .57X.46.  A  set  of  six  taken  in  Buncombe 
county.  North  Carolina,  May  2,  1888,  measures  .59X.45,  .58X.46,  .57 x 
.44,  .56  X  .45,  .58  X  .45,  .58  X  .45.  Several  other  sets  in  the  same  cabinet 
show  great  variation.    The  average  size  is  .59X  .47. 

726a.    Certhia  familiaris  mexicana    (Glog.)    [  5  5a.] 

Mexioan  Creeper. 

Hab.     Northern  Central  America  (Guatemala),  Mexico,  and  Southern  Arizona. 

No  reliable  information  is  at  hand  regarding  the  nidification  of 
this  Mexican  form  of  the  Creeper  which  is,  doubtless,  similar  to  that 
of  C.f.  americana. 

**    Certhia  familiaris  montana    Ridgw.    [s5,/arr.] 

Slookx  Mountain  Creeper. 

Hab.     Rocky  Mountain  district,  north  to  Alaska;  west  to  Nevada,  etc.     Ridgw. 

The  nesting  and  eggs  of  this  are  like  those  of  the  Brown  Creeper 
of  the  Eastern  States.  Prof.  Ridgway  gives  the  average  size  of  the 
eggs  as  .59X.46. 

»  Cf.  Bull.  Nutt.  Ornith.  Club,  IV,  pp.  199-209. 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS.  411 

*  *    Oerthia  familiaris  occldBntalis    Ridgw.    [  55,  part.] 

Callfornf.an  Creeper. 

Hah.    Pacific  coast  region  of  North  America  from  California  to  Southern  Alaslca. 

This  race  of  the  Creeper  is  confined  to  the  Pacific  coast  region. 
Dr.  Merrill  met  with  it  in  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Klamath,  Oregon,  and 
states  that  in  no  part  of  the  West  did  he  find  it  so  abundant  as  there. 
Several  pairs  bred  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  Fort,  and  during 
the  winter  several  of  their  characteristic  nests  were  found  hidden  by 
loosened  scales  of  bark,  usually  on  pines,  but  once  or  twice  on  aspens. 
The  eggs,  according  to  Prof.  Ridgway,  average  .61  x  .48. 

727. 


far 


Hah. 


Sitta  carolinensis    Lath.    [51.] 

White-breasted  Nmthatoh. 

Eastern  United  States  and  British  Provinces. 


The  White-breasted  Nuthatch  is  often  improperly  called  **^Sap- 
sucker,"  a  name  commonly  applied  to  the  Downy  Woodpecx^er  and 
others.  Nearly  every  person  readily  recognizes  this  black-capped 
species  as  it  runs  up  and  down  and  around  the  branches  and  trunks 
of  trees  in  search  of  insect  food,  now  and  then  uttering  its  curious 
quank^  quank^  quank.  It  is  a  common  breeding  bird  throughout  its 
range  and  usually  begins  nesting  early  in  April.  Two  broods  are  not 
infrequently  reared  in  a  season.  This  species  usually  selects  for  its 
nesting  place  the  decayed  trunk  of  a  tree  or  stub,  ranging  all  the  way 
from  two  l'^  sixty  feet  above  the  ground.  The  entrance  may  be  a 
knot-hole,  a  small  opening,  or  a  round  perforation  is  constructed  and 
a  cavity  within  in  which  the  nest  is  made.  Often  the  old  excavation 
of  the  Downy  Woodpecker  is  made  use  of.  The  nest  is  composed  of 
chicken  feathers,  hair,  and  a  few  dry  leaves  loosely  thrown  together. 

The  eggs  are  five  to  eight  in  number,  rarely  nine  and  ten ;  their 
usual  shape  is  somewhat  long  and  pointed.  They  are  white  with  a 
roseate  tinge,  speckled  or  spotted  with  reddish-brown  and  a  slight 
tinge  of  purple.  The  markings  as  a  rule  are  thickest  near  the  larger 
ends.     The  average  size  of  ten  specimens  is  . 77 x. 56. 

728a.    Sitta  carolinensis  aculeata    (Cass.)    [5i«.] 

Slender-billed  Nuthatch. 

Hab.    Western  United  States  ease  to  and  including  the  Rocky  Mountains,  south  into  Mexico. 

This  bird  is  similar  to  the  last  but  has  a  longer  and  slenderer  bill. 
It  is  abundant  in  the  wooded  and  mountainous  regions  of  the  West,  re- 
placing 6".  carolinensis.  It  possesses  the  same  characteristic  habits  of 
the  White-breasted  Nuthatch  of  the  Eastern  States,  nesting  also  in  a 
like  manner.  Mr.  W.  O.  Emerson  states  that  it  breeds  in  all  the  coast 
range  valleys  of  California,  wherever  there  is  plenty  of  white  and 
black  oak  timber,  and  also  high  up  in  the  Sierras.     The  nests  are 


412 


NESTS  AND   EGGS  OF 


built  in  cavities  or  knot-holes  of  trees  and  stumps,  composed  of  feath- 
ers and  sometimes  mostly  of  rabbit's  fur. 

Six  or  seven  eggs  are  usually  laid  ;  they  are  creamy-white  speck- 
led with  reddish-brown  and  hazel.  Captain  B.  F.  Goss  has  a  set  of 
seven  eggs  in  his  extensive  collection  which  he  took  from  a  hole  in  a 
tree  seven  feet  from  the  ground,  in  Southern  California,  May  7,  1884. 
These  measure  respectively,  .75x.57»  •75x.53»  •74X.53.  '73^'57>  -78 x 
.54,  .71X.57,  .72X.56.  A  set  of  six  in  Mr.  Norris'  cabinet  was  taken 
near  Kingston,  New  Mexico,  May  4,  1885.  These  measure  •73X.53, 
•71 X  .53,  .73  X  .54,  .73  X  .54,  .74  X  .54,  .75  X  .54. 

728.    Sitta  canadensis    Linn.     [52.] 

Red-breaated  Nuthatoltt 

Hab.  Whole  of  North  America,  breeding  chiefly  north  of  the  United  States,  except  in  western 
mountainous  regions;  Eastern  United  States  chiefly  in  winter. 

This  is  a  common  bird  throughout  North  America,  breeding  from 
Northern  United  States  northward.  Its  habits  are  essentially  the  same 
as  those  of  5*.  carolinensis.  Mr.  Manly  Hardy  has  written  a  good  ac- 
account  of  this  bird's  breeding  habits  in  Maine.*  He  found  them  nest- 
ing in  white  birch  and  poplar  stubs,  usually  from  ten  to  fifteen  feet, 
and  sometimes  as  low  down  as  four  feet  above  the  ground.  In  making 
the  entrance  to  the  nest-cavity  proper,  the  bii^is  perforate  the  bark  in 
a  circle  with  smaller  holes,  and  then  take  out  the  center  piece.  A 
strange  fact  concerning  the  nests  found  by  Mr.  Hardy  and  others,  is 
that  the  bark  at  their  entrance  is  coated  with  fir  balsam  or  pitch  from 
an  inch  to  three  or  four  inches  around  the  hole.  In  one  instance  the 
pitch  extended  down  for  twenty-one  inches,  and  was  stuck  full  of  the 
red  breast-feathers  of  the  Nuthatches.  The  cavities  are  about  four 
i'lches  deep,  in  which  the  nest  is  made  of  fine  grass. 

The  eggs,  four  to  six  in  number,  are  very  thickly  spotted  with  red- 
dish-brown.    Average  size  .60 X. 50. 

729.    Sitta  pusilla    Lath.     [  53.] 

Brown-headed  Nuthatch. 

Hab.  South  Atlantic  and  Gulf  States,  north  regularly  to  Southern  Maryland  and  Virginia,  casually 
to  Ohio,  Michigan,  Missouri,  etc. 

The  home  of  the  Brown-headed  Nuthatch  is  in  the  South  Atlantic 
and  Gulf  States,  where  it  is  a  common  breeder.  Its  habits  are  gen- 
eric. Mr.  Arthur  T.  Wayne  states  that  in  South  Carolina  the  Brown- 
headed  Nuthatch  pairs  in  the  latter  part  of  January,  and  the  birds  be- 
gin to  excavate  '^ole  in  a  dead  stump  or  limb  of  a  tree,  usually  not 
more  than  a  few  feet  or  inches  from  the  ground,  and,  again,  as  high  as 
forty  or  fifty  feet.     Eggs  may  be  obtained  in  March,  as  four  or  five 

♦  Bull.  Nutt.  Ornith.  Club,  III,  196. 


"B^' 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


413 


weeks  are  required  to  complete  the  excavation.  Mr.  George  Noble  in- 
forms me  that  he  found  a  nest  of  this  species  in  the  cavity  of  a  stump 
in  a  pond.  It  was  two  feet  from  the  surface  of  the  water.  Mr.  C.  S. 
Brimley  found  eggs  of  this  species  near  Raleigh,  North  Carolina,  in 
the  month  of  April.  Mr,  Wayne  says  that  the  birds  dig  several  holes 
before  a  satisfactory  one  is  completed  for  the  nest.  The  cavity  extends 
downward  from  eight  to  twelve  inches,  and  is  filled  with  short  pieces 
of  grass,  bits  of  cotton,  wool,  feathers,  and  the  leaf-like  substance  of 
"  pine  seed  leaves." 

The  eggs  are  five  or  six  in  number.  A  series  of  twenty-four 
sets  in  Mr.  Norris'  cabinet  present  a  varied  appearance  with  re- 
gard to  their  coloration,  etc.  The  ground-color  varies  from  white 
through  creamy-white,  to  a  dull  white,  and  the  markings  are  several 
shades  of  reddish-brown  and  lavender-gray.  The  sizes  of  the  eggs  in 
a  set  containing  the  smallest  specimens  are  .57  x  .47,  .59  x  .48,  .59  x  .48, 
.57X.47,  .57X.48;  the  largest,  .62X.49,  .59x47,  .64X.49,  .64X.49,  .62 
X  .48.     The  average  size  is  .62  x  .49. 

730.  SittapygmjBa    Vig.    [54.] 

Pigmy  Nuthatch* 

Hab.  Western  United  States  east  to  and  including  the  Rocky  Mountains;  from  the  northern  bound- 
ary south  into  mountainous  districts  of  Mexico. 

This  diminutive  Nuthatch  is  found  throughout  Western  United 
States  from  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  the  Pacific.  It  is  abundant, 
chiefly  in  pine  woods  in  mountainous  districts,  nesting  like  the  rest  of 
the  genus  in  holes  of  trees.  Mr.  Charles  F.  Morrison  gives  it  as  a 
common  species  of  La  Plata  county,  Colorado,  and  is  resident  up  to 
loooo  feet ;  breeds  abundantly,  but  the  nest  is  hard  to  find. 

The  eggs  are  from  six  to  nine  in  number.  They  are  crystalline 
white,  speckled  more  or  less  thickly  with  brick-red,  varying  in  inten- 
sity in  diflferent  specimens.  The  sizes  of  the  eggs  in  a  set  containing 
the  smallest  specimens,  from  a  series  of  nine  sets  in  Mr.  Norris'  collec- 
tion, are  .51X.46,  .51X.46,  .55X.45,  .53X.45,  .51X.46,  .52 x. 46,  .53 x 
.46,  .52  X  .44,  .53  X  .45 ;  the  largest :     .63  x  .47,  .61  x  .45,  .59  x  .48,  .64  x 

•49)  '63  ^  •47>  '^3  ^  4^)  '^  ^  •4S>  -^3  ^  4^' 

731.  Parus  bicolor    Linn.    [  36.] 

Tnftad  TitmouM* 

Hab.  Eastern  United  States  to  the  Great  Plains,  chiefly  south  of  40°;  south  to  the  Gulf  Coast,  in- 
cluding Florida  and  Central  Texas. 

The  Tufted  Titmouse  is  an  abundant  resident  in  Eastern  United 
States,  as  far  west  as  Eastern  Kansas,  and,  chiefly  however,  south  of 
40°.  Its  clear,  loud  whistling  song  may  occasionally  be  heard  in  sunny 
days  through  the  winter  months,  but  particularly  in  the  early  spring — 


\ 


414 


NESTS  AND   EGGS  OF 


in  March,  the  mating  season,  lor  nesting  usually  begins  early  in  April. 
Deserted  Woodpecker  excavations,  natural  cavities  of  trees,  or  those  in 
stubs  in  deep  or  open  woods  are  the  favorite  nesting  sites  of  the  Tufted 
Titmouse.  In  these  cavities  the  nest  is  formed  of  a  mass  of  leaves, 
moss,  corn-stalks,  soft,  fibrous  bark-strips,  and  the  hair  of  cattle  ;  this  is 
all  carried  to  the  nesting  place  in  great  mouths  full  by  the  female  bird. 
She  has  often  been  accused  of  picking  to  pieces  and  carrying  away  the 
moss  from  hanging  baskets  suspended  on  porches.  Mr.  O.  C.  Poling 
found  a  nest  of  this  bird  containing  five  eggs  in  a  box  near  a  ruined 
building,  in  the  vicinity  of  Quincy,  Illinois. 

From  five  to  eight  eggs  are  deposited,  five  or  six  being  the  usual 
numbers.  I  have  taken  three  sets  in  Central  Ohio,  all  containing  six 
eggs.  They  are  of  a  pure  white  or  light  cream  ground-color,  which  is 
profusely  speckled  and  spotted  with  different  shades  of  reddish-brown. 
Eight  specimens,  selected  on  account  of  their  sizes,  measure  .67  x  .52, 
.67  X  .51,  .69  X  .52,  .71  X  .51,  .74  X  .53,  .76  X  .54,  .78  X  .54,  .80X  .56 ;  a  com- 
mon size  is  .74  X  .52. 

The  Tufted  Titmouse  will  frequently  nest  iu  boxes  that  are  put  up 
in  the  woods  for  that  purpose.  The  birds  are  close  sitters,  and  often 
have  to  be  lifted  from  the  nest  before  the  eggs  can  be  secured.  I  have 
no  definite  information  regarding  the  nesting  and  eggs  of  the  new 
variety  called  Texan  Tufted  Titmouse,  Parus  bicolor  texensis  Sennett,* 
from  Southeastern  Texas.  There  is  certainly  little,  if  any,  difference 
between  them  and  those  of  the  present  species. 

732. 


Hab. 


Parus  atricristatus    Cass    [37.] 

Blaok-orested  Titmouse. 

Eastern  Mexico,  north  into  Southern  Texas. 


An  inhabitant  of  Southern  Texas  and  southward  into  Eastern 
Mexico.  Mr.  William  Lloyd  states  that  this  species  is  a  tolerably  com- 
mon resident  in  Concho  and  Tom  Green  counties,  Texas,  and  from 
thence  to  El  Paso  is  the  prevailing  species.  Nests  were  found  in 
old  Woodpecker  holes  April  15,  18  and  20.  On  the  Lower  Rio  Grande 
the  Black-crested  Titmouse  was  found  to  be  common  by  Dr.  James  C. 
Merrill  and  Mr.  George  B.  Sennett,  where  nests  containing  eggs  were 
found  in  April.  ■■  -asides  old  Woodpeckers'  excavations,  the  nesting 
sites  chosen  are  hoilows  or  deep  cracks  in  tree  trunks.  The  nest  is 
composed  of  grasses,  inner  bark,  feathers,  moss  and  wool,  and,  like  the 
nest  of  the  Blue  Grosbeak,  it  almost  invariably  contains  pieces  of  snake- 
skin. 

The  eggs  are  usually  five  or  six  iu  number,  with  a  clear,  white 

♦  Cf.  Sennett,  Auk,  IV,  29. 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


415 


ground-color,  and  small  spots  jf  chestnut  sparsely  scattered  over  the  sur- 
face; in  othe"  specimens  the  markings  are  larger  and  more  closely  dis- 
posed over  the  shell.  They  can  be  distinguished  at  a  glance  from  those 
of  L.  bicolor.  The  spots  on  the  eggs  of  L.  atricristatus  are  fewer  and 
more  scattered  than  on  those  of  bicolor.  Five  sets  of  these  eggs  are 
in  Mr.  Norris'  cabinet,  all  collected  in  Comal  county,  Texas.  The 
sizes  of  the  eggs  in  the  set  containing  the  smallest  specimens  are 
.67X.53,  .65X.52,  .66X.52,  .65X.52,  .68X.53,  .66X.52;  the  largest 
•74  X  .55»  -74  X  .55,  -74  x  .54.  -73  x  .55,  71  x  .56. 

733.    Parus  inornatus    Game.     [38, />ar/.] 

Plain  Titmonse. 

Hab.     Pacific  coast  of  the  United  States,  from  Southern  California  to  Oregon, 

The  Plain  or  Western  Tufted  Titmouse  is  resident  along  the  coast 
of  California.  In  some  localities  it  is  common,  and  in  others,  appar- 
ently as  well  suited  to  its  mode  of  living,  it  is  scarce  or  wanting.  The 
nesting  sites  are  the  hollows  of  limbs,  usually  in  oaks.  Mr.  Walter  E. 
Bryant,  of  Oakland,  California,  found  a  nest  of  this  species  placed  in 
the  ventilator  of  an  outbuilding.  The  shape  of  the  nest  conforms  to 
the  character  of  the  cavity  in  which  it  is  built ;  this  is  filled  with  fine 
grasses,  feathers,  cow's  hair,  rabbit's  fur,  moss,  and  almost  any  soft 
substance  that  is  available.  *  Mr.  H.  R.  Taylor,  of  Alameda,  Cal- 
ifornia, observes  that  the  birds  begin  to  construct  their  nests  as  early 
as  March  7,  and  the  selection  of  a  hole  well  sheltered  from  the  rain  is 
a  very  necessary  precaution.  From  all  accounts  the  bird  is  a  close 
sitter ;  even  when  a  stick  is  thrust  into  the  nest  cavity  it  is  met  with  a 
vigorous  resistance ;  and  the  bird,  if  taken  from  the  nest  and  tossed 
into  the  air,  will  often  return  immediately  and  settle  down  on  the  eggs  in 
presence  of  the  collector.  Under  these  circumstances  one  or  more  of 
the  eggs  are  frequently  broken  or  injured  by  the  bird's  claws  as  she  is 
being  removed  from  the  nest. 

The  eggs  are  five  or  eight  in  number,  and  may  be  plain  white  or 
spotted.  Mr.  Frank  B.  Webster  has  kindly  sent  me  six  eggs  of  this 
species,  showing  their  extreme  variations.  Three  of  these  are  pure 
white,  unmarked;  the  fourth  is  very  obscurely  marked  with  reddish 
specks  at  the  larger  end,  while  the  fifth  is  distinctly  speckled  over  the 
entire  surface  with  vinaceous  cinnamon,  but  chiefly  at  the  larger  end ; 
the  sixth  is  marked  generally  over  the  entire  shell.  These  variations 
may  exist  in  the  eggs  of  a  single  set,  but  usually  the  specimens  in  sets 
are  of  one  type  or  the  other — plain  white  or  speckled.  The  sizes  of 
the  six  eggs  just  described  are  .68X.49,  .69X.53,   .71  x. 51,  .72 x. 54, 

Cf.  Henshaw,  Bull.  Nutt.  Ornith.  Club,  IV,  pp.  182-183. 


m 


416 


NESTS   AND   EGGS  OF 


4- 


.73  X  .52,  .74  X  .53.  Mr,  Norris  has  two  sets,  consisting  of  five  and  eight 
eggs,  respectively,  taken  near  Alameda,  California,  April  i,  1885,  and 
March  20,  1886.  These  measure  .65 x  .51,  ,66 x.51,  ,66 x, 49,  .64 x  .50, 
.66X.51;  ,68x,53,  ,69 X. 53,  .66 x, 52,  .69x,5i,  ,68x,52,  .68x,53,  .68x 
•53.  .70X.53.  . 

734.    Parus  wollweberl    (Bonap.)    [39.] 

Bridled  Titmonse, 

Hab.     Western  Texas,  Southern  New  Mexico  and  Southern  Arizona,  south  into  Mexico. 

Mr.  W.  E.  D.  Scott  found  this  Titmouse  to  be  a  rather  common 
resident  in  the  evergreen  oak  region  of  both  the  Pinal  and  Santa  Cat- 
alina  Mountains  of  Arizona.  It  is  gregarious,  except  during  the  breeding 
season,  going  about  in  small  companies.  It  was  frequently  found,  es- 
pecially in  the  fall  and  winter  months,  associate*  with  flocks  of  the 
Plumbeous  Bush-tit  {Psaltripariis  plumb etis)  and  a  pair  or  more  of  Ari- 
zona Woodpeckers  {Dryobates  Arizona)  are  generally  found  in  the 
band.  He  observes  that  the  Bridled  Titmouse  is  as  unsuspicious  and  as 
fond  of  the  society  of  man  as  the  Black-capped  Titmouse  {Partis  atrica- 
pillus) ,  On  two  occasions  he  discovered  it  breeding,  the  nests  being  loca- 
ted in  natural  cavities  of  live  oaks,  close  to  his  house.  The  first  was  found 
May  9,  1884,  which  was  in  a  cavity  formed  by  decay,  in  an  oak  stump ; 
the  opening,  which  was  a  small  knot  hole  where  the  branch  had  been 
broken  off,  was  about  three  and  a  half  feet  from  the  ground.  The  hol- 
low was  lined  with  cottonwood  down,  the  fronds  of  some  small  rock- 
ferns,  and  bits  of  cotton-waste  that  had  been  used  to  clean  the  machin- 
ery of  a  mill  near  by.  The  nest  contained  three  pure  white,  unspotted 
eggs,  with  a  pinkish  tinge  before  being  blown.  Two  of  these  were 
accidentally  broken  ;  the  unbroken  one  measures  .63  x  .48.  Another 
nest  was  found  May  9,  1885,  in  a  similar  location,  some  six  feet  from 
the  ground.  In  addition  to  the  material  of  the  nest  already  mentioned, 
there  were  decayed  grasses  and  rabbit's  hair.  This  nest  contained 
four  young  just  born  and  two  eggs,  similar  to  the  last  in  color — plain, 
dead  white,  and  measure  ,65 x.51,  .67X.53.  The  eggs  are  said  to 
range  from  five  to  seven  in  number. 

735.    Parus  atrlcapillus    Linn    [41.] 

Chickadee. 

Hab.     Eastern  North  America,  chiefly  north  of  40°,  west  to  the  Plaint. 

The  little  Black-capped  Chickadee  or  Titmouse  is  an  abundant 
species  in  Eastern  United  States,  north  of  the  Potomac  and  Ohio 
Valleys.  The  usual  nesting  time  is  about  the  middle  of  April.  Col. 
Goss  gives  it  as  a  common  resident  of  Kansas,  begins  laying  early  in 
April. 

The  nest  is  constructed  in  deserted  Woodpecker  holes,  natural 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


417 


cavities  in  trees,  decayed  stumps,  hollow  fence  posts,  etc.  These 
places  are  filled  with  a  mass  of  leaves,  moss,  dry  grasses  and  warmly 
lined  with  downy  feathers,  hair  from  cattle,  and  often  the  fur  of  the 
smaller  quadrupeds. 

The  eggs  are  five  to  eight  in  number,  white,  speckled  all  over, 
but  most  thickly  at  or  around  the  larger  ends  with  light  reddish-brown. 
The  average  size  is  .57  x  .47. 

Of  this  species  Wilson  says  :  "They  traverse  the  woods  in  regu- 
lar progression  from  tree  to  tree,  tumbling,  chattering  and  hanging  from 
the  extremities  of  the  branches,  examining  about  the  roots  of  the  leaves, 
buds,  and  crevices  of  the  bark  for  insects  and  their  larvae.  They  also 
frequently  visit  the  orchards,  particularly  in  fall,  the  sides  of  the  barn 
and  barn-yard  in  the  same  pursuit,  trees  in  such  situations  being  gen- 
erally much  infested  with  insects.  We,  therefore,  with  pleasure,  rank 
this  little  bird  among  the  farmers'  friends,  and  trust  our  rural  citizens 
will  always  recognize  him  as  such."* 

735a.    Parus  atrlcapillus  septentrionalis    (Harris.)    [41a.] 

Long-tailed  Chickadee. 

Hab.  Rocky  Mountain  district  (New  Mexico  to  Alaska),  west  to  the  edge  of  the  Great  Basin,  east 
nearly  across  the  Plains. 

This  is  the  Western  form  of  P.  atricapillus^  and  identical  \<\\h.  it 
in  general  habits.  It  is  found  as  far  east  as  Missouri,  Eastern  Nebraska, 
and  Western  Minnesota  along  the  Red  River,  thus  slightly  overlapping 
the  home  of  P.  atricapillus  proper.  Dr.  Agersborg  states  that  it  is 
the  only  Chickadee  found  in  Southeastern  Dakota,  and  Colonel  Goss 
says  it  is  common  in  Western  Kansas,  In  the  South  it  has  been  found 
in  Texas,  where  it  was  found  mixed  with  the  Southern  Chickadee. 
Prof.  lyantz  took  a  fine  set  of  seven  eggs  April  i^]^  at  Manhattan,  Kan- 
sas, and  the  next  day  a  set  of  the  eggs  of  the  Eastern  form.f  The 
eggs  of  the  Long-tailed  Chickadee  are  dull  white,  and  very  uniformly 
speckled  with  reddish-brown  ;  their  average  size  is  .6ox  .47. 

735<J.    Parus  atricapillus  occidentalis    (Baird)    [41^.] 

Oregon  Chickadee. 

Hab.  Northwestern  coast  district  of  United  States,  from  Northern  California  northward  (to  Southern 
Alaska?). 

A  common  bird  along  the  coast  region  of  Northern  California, 
Oregon  and  Washington  Territory,  possessing  all  the  habits  of  the 
Eastern  atricapillus^  and  nesting  in  a  like  manner. 

The  eggs  of  the  two  birds  are  indistinguishable.     Mr.  Norris  has 

*  American  Ornithology  or  the  Natural  History  of  the  Birds  of  the  United  States.  Illustrated  with 
Plates  engraved  from  drawings  fro;n  Nature.  By  Alex.inder  Wilson  and  Charles  Lucian  Bonaparte,  Popu- 
lar edition.     Four  vol'imes  in  one.     Philadelphia:      Porter  &  Coat<:s.     Vol.  II,  p.  214.. 

f  C/.  Report  on  Bird  Mimanon  in  the  Mississippi  Valley  in  the  years  188-1  and  1885,  by  W.  W.  Cooke. 
Edited  and  revised  by  Dr.  C.  Hart  Merriam,  Washington.    Governmeut  Priuting  Office.    1888.    P.  '.^8. 

28 


,1 1 


li 


y 


418 


NESTS  AND   EGGS   OF 


two  sets  of  the  eggs  of  the  Oregon  Chickadee.  One  of  six  eggs, 
taken  in  Coos  county,  Oregon,  April  28;  they  measure  .58x48,  .60 x 
.48,  .60  X  .44,  .59  X  .48,  .62X.47,  .59X.54;  another  containing  six  eggs 
was  taken  in  Pacific  county,  Washington  Territory,  from  a  cavity  which 
was  lined  with  moss  and  hair,  in  an  alder  stub.  These  measure  .61  x 
.47,  .60  x  .48,  .62  X  .48,  .60  X  .48,  .60  X  .48,  .61  x  .48. 

736.    Parus  carolinensis    Aud.     [42.] 

Carolina  Chlokadeoi 

Hab,  Eastern  United  States,  chiefly  south  of  40  ,  west  to  Missouri,  Indian  Territory  and  Eastern 
Texas. 

The  Carolina  or  Southern  Chickadee  is  a  common  bird  in  Eastern 
United  States,  chiefly  south  of  40°.  It  is  supposed  to  be  resident 
throughout  its  range,  and  is  particularly  abundant  in  the  Southern 
States.  This  bird,  like  the  Black-capped  Chickadee,  nests  in  old 
Woodpeckers'  excavations,  natural  cavities  of  trees,  hollow  fence  rails, 
etc.,  not  at  a  great  elevation.  The  material  used  in  these  cavities  con- 
sists of  fine,  dry  grasses,  shreds  of  fibrous  bark,  with  a  warm  lining  of 
feathers,  cattle  hair  and  fur  of  the  smaller  quadrupeds. 

The  eggs  are  five  to  eight  in  number,  white,  sprinkled  with  specks 
and  small  blotches  of  reddish-brown.  In  a  large  series,  however,  there 
is  considerable  variation,  both  in  color  and  size.  Ten  specimens 
average  .60X.50.  The  eggs  are  not  distinguishable  from  those  of 
Parus  atricapillus. 

**  Parus  carolinensia  agilis    Senn. 

Plumbeons  Chickadee. 

Hab.     Eastern  and  Central  Texas  ;Bee,  V'ictoria,  Cook  and  Concho  counties,  etc.i. 

Mr.  George  B.  Sennett,  who  describes  this  new  Chickadee  *  says 
that  it  can  be  distinguished  from  its  nearer.!  ally,  P.  carolinensis^  by  its 
whiter  underparts  ;  by  its  being  almost  entirely  free  from  buff  washings 
on  sides,  and  from  olive  and  brown  washings  on  upper  parts  ;  and  its 
very  pale  lead  color  on  back.  Mr.  J.  A.  Singley  has  sent  me  five  eggs 
of  this  bird  which  he  collected  in  Lee  county,  Texas,  with  full  details 
of  the  bird's  nidification.  The  nest  is  usually  excavated  in  an  oak 
stub  at  elevations  ranging  from  two  to  fifteen  feet.  Deserted  Wood- 
pecker holes,  natural  cavities  in  trees  are  commonly  chosen,  and  occri- 
sionally  Martin  boxes  are  used.  The  breeding  season  is  from  the  last 
of  February  to  the  first  of  May.  The  foundation  of  the  nest  is  made 
of  short,  green  moss,  mixed  with  animal  hair,  and  the  lining,  as  a  rule, 
is  of  rabbit  fur.  The  bird  sits  so  closely  that  it  usually  has  to  be  lifted 
from  the  nest. 

The  eggs  are  five  to  eight  in  number,  white,  variously  speckled, 

■•••The  Auk,  V,  p.  46. 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


419 


OCCfi- 

le  last 

made 

rule, 

lifted 

:kled, 


spotted  and  blotched  with  cinnamon-rufous.  They  cannot  be  distin- 
guished from  the  eggs  of  P.  atricapilhis  or  carolinensis^  and  vary  in  as 
great  a  degree,  both  in  size  and  coloration,  as  eggs  of  the  same  species 
are  found  to  differ.  The  sizes  of  the  five  eggs  just  mentioned  are 
.56  X  .43,  .61  X  .47,  .62  X  .50,  .63  X  .47,  .63  X  .50. 

This  plumbeous  colored  Chickadee  is  very  likely  the  prevailing 

form  of  Texas. 

738.    Parus  gambeli    Ridgw.     [40.] 

Mountain  Cliiokadee. 

Hab.     Mountainous  regions  of  Western  United  States. 

The  Mountain  Chickadee  inhabits  the  mountainous  regions  of 
Western  United  States,  chiefly  the  alpine  districts.  It  nests  in  old 
Woodpeckers'  excavations  and  natural  cavities  of  trees  and  stumps, 
from  two  to  twenty  feet  above  the  ground.  Fibrous  roots,  grasses, 
sheep's  wool,  cattle's  hair,  or  fur  of  the  smaller  quadrupeds  constitute 
the  materials  of  the  nest ;  these  will  vary  with  the  locality.  A  nest  of 
this  bird  was  found  in  a  rotten  stump,  two  feet  from  the  ground,  by 
Mr.  L.  Belding,  near  Marysville,  California,  containing  seven  white 
eggs.  *  Dr.  Brewer  describes  a  nest  which  was  discovered  by  Mr. 
Charles  A.  Allen,  June  11, 1879,  ^^  ^^^  mountains  of  Placer  county,  Cali- 
fornia. It  was  constructed  in  an  old  hole  of  the  White-headed  Wood- 
pecker, Xetiopicus  albolarvatus^  and  contained  seven  eggs,  six  of  which 
were  pure  white,  unspotted,  and  the  seventh  marked  over  the  entire  sur- 
face with  dots  of  reddish-brown,  f  Dr.  James  C.  Merrill  found  a  nest  of 
this  species  in  Montana,  on  June  18.  It  was  in  a  cavity  of  a  pine, 
about  sixteen  feet  above  the  ground,  and  contained  five  or  six  young 
and  one  addled  egg,  which  was  dull,  unspotted,  chalky-white. J  Dr. 
Elliott  Coues  makes  note  of  two  white  unmarked  eggs  of  this  species, 
taken  by  William  G.  Smith,  in  Colorado.  §  Dr.  Merrill  says  that  this 
species  is  perhaps  the  most  common  resident  species  at  Fort  Klamath, 
Ore^jon,  and  in  winter  seldom  out  of  sight  or  hearing.  Between  May 
25  and  July  4  five  nests  containing  eggs  were  discovered  in  Wood- 
peckers' holes  in  aspen  or  pine  stubs. 

The  eggs  were  five  to  eight  in  number,  and  of  the  'five  sets  two  are 
entirely  unspotted ;  in  two,  one  or  two  eggs  are  pure  white,  the  others 
having  faint,  light  brown  spots,  mostly  at  the  larger  end ;  in  the  other 
set  two  of  the  eggs  are  quite  unmarked,  but  the  others  have  distinct 
reddish  spots.  He  states  that  the  female  birds  sit  very  close,  and  when 
disturbed  keep  up  a  constant  hissing,  so  much  like  that  of  some  snakes 

<•  Cf.  Bull.  Nutt.  Ornith.  Club,  III,  102-103. 

t  Ih.  V,  47. 

X  lb.  VI,  204-205. 

§/i.  VIII,  240. 


■(iWi 


420 


NESTS  AND   KGGS   OF 


that  no  prudent  squirrel  would  venture  to  enter  the  hole.  *  Mr.  Norris 
has  a  set  of  seven  eggs,  taken  near  Fort  Klamath,  Oregon,  May  15, 
1888.  These  are  white,  faintly  speckled  with  vinaceous-cinnamon,  and 
measure  .58x46,  .58X.48,  .58X.46,  .58X.47,  .60X.47,  .60X.47,  .60 x 
.47.  Another  containing  eight  eggs,  taken  June  12,  1886,  near  Downer, 
California,  by  A.  M.  Ingersoll,  is  like  the  last  set  in  coloration — white, 
very  faintly  speckled  with  vinaceous-cinnamon.  Their  sizes  are  .62  x 
.48,  .63  X  .49,  .63  X  .47,  .63  x  .41,  .61  x  .48,  .61  X  .47,  .60  x  .46,  .63  X  .47. 


Hab. 


739.     Parus  cinctus  obtectus    (Cab.) 

Siberian  Chickadee. 

Eastern  Siberia  and  Nortlfern  Alaska. 


[44] 


An  inhabitant  of  Eastern  Siberia  and  northern  portions  of  Alaska. 

Its  habits,  nesting  and  eggs  are  similar  to  those  of  P.  gambeli.     Eggs, 

.65  X  .50. 

740    Paru8  hudsonicus    Forst.     [45.] 

Hndaonlam  Chlokadee. 

Hab.  Northern  North  America  east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  south  to  the  more  elevated  portions  of 
the  United  States  — New  England,  New  York,  Northern  Michigan,  Etc. 

The  Hudsonian  Chickadee  is  resident  in  Labrador  and  the  Hud- 
son Bay  region.  It  is  given  as  a  resident  of  Northern  New  England,  and 
breeds  on  the  Island  of  Grand  Manan,  New  Brunswick,  Audubon  found 
a  nest  of  this  Chickadee  in  Labrador,  built  in  a  decayed  stump  about 
three  feet  from  the  ground  an>  composed  entirely  of  the  finest  fur  of 
■various  quadrupeds,  chiefly  of  the  northern  hair,  and  all  so  thickly  and 
ingeniously  matted  throughout  as  to  seem  as  if  felted  by  the  hand  of 
man.  Mr.  Montague  Chamberlain  mentions  several  nests  that  were 
found  in  New  Brunswick,  one  of  which  was  built  in  a  cavity  of  a  tele- 
graph pole  and  others  built  in  decayed  stumps.  He  says  that  when 
this  species  is  excavating  for  its  nest  it  sometimes  enters  from  the  side 
of  a  tree  and  not  invariably  from  the  top  of  a  stump.  Mr.  James  W. 
Banks,  during  the  seasons  of  1885  and  1886,  discovered  three  nests,  the 
entrances  of  which  were  at  the  side  of  a  decayed  stump.  One  of  these 
nests  is  about  two  inches  deep  and  is  set  on  a  cushion  of  dried  moss, 
and  besides  the  felted  fur  there  is  considerable  dry  moss  mixed 
throughout.  The  entrance  was  about  six  inches  from  the  top  of  the 
nestf 

The  eggs  are  usually  six  or  seven  in  number.  A  set  of  seven  in  Mr. 
Norris'  cabinet  was  taken  June  9,  1876,  at  Grand  Manan,  New  Bruns- 
wick, from  a  cavity  in  a  dead  tree  about  five  feet  from  the  ground. 
They  are  creamy-white  sprinkled  with  hazel.  Sizes  .55  x  .48,  .58  x  .46, 
.60  x  .46,   .56  x  .47,    .56  x  .47,    .56  X  .47,   .55  X  .48.      The   eggs  of    the 

*  Cf.  The  Auk,  V,  363-364. 

t  Bull.  Nutt.  Ornith.  Club,  VIII,  p.  10,  and  Auk,  IV,  261. 


sc 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


421 


Hudsonian  Chickadee  are  described  as  white,  sparingly  spotted  with 
reddish-brown  and  hazel,  often  gronped  in  a  circle  about  the  larger 
end ;  average  size  .58  x .  50. 

741    Parus  rufescens    Towns    [46.] 

vOheatnnt-liaoked  Chickadee. 

Hab.     Northwestern  coast  —  Oregon,  Washington  Territory,  Uritish  Columbia,  and  Southern  Alaslut. 

The  Chestnut-backed  Chickadee  is  an  inhabitant  of  the  North- 
west coast  where,  in  some  regions,  it  is  rather  common.  Mr.  A.  W. 
Anthony  gives  it  as  a  common  winter  resident  of  Washington  county, 
Oregon.  It  was  first  seen  by  him  in  December,  1884,  in  company  with 
the  Oregon  Chickadee,  Paris  atrtcapilhis  occidentalis,  A  few  lingered 
to  breed,  but  disappeared  as  soon  as  the  first  brood  was  raised.  A  nest 
was  found  April  28,  in  a  large  fur  stub  three  feet  four  inches  in  diame- 
ter, running  horizontally  three  inches  then  turning  downward  for  six 
inches  before  opening  into  the  nest,  which  was  of  cow  and  rabbit  hair. 
It  contained  seven  eggs  with  large  embryos.  These  Mr.  Anthony 
does  not  describe  and  there  appears  to  be  no  published  account  of 
them.  They  are  probably  very  similar  to  those  of  the  Californian 
Chickadee,  P.  ru/escens  ncglectus. 

741rt    Parus  rufescens  neglectus    Rinow.     [46a.] 

Californian  Chiohadee. 

Hab.     Coast  district  of  California. 

This  bird  is  confined  to  the  coast  regions  of  California  where  Mr. 
W.  O.  Emerson  informs  me  it  can  always  be  found  in  the  redwood 
belts.  He  has  only  seen  two  birds  of  this  species  in  the  vicinity 
of  Haywards,  which  is  doubtless  on  account  of  there  being  no  redwood 
timber.  It  nests  in  cavities  of  trees  and  stumps,  and  in  old  Wood- 
peckers' excavations,  making  the  nest  of  quadrupeds'  hair. 

Six  or  seven  eggs  are  usually  deposited.  A  set  of  six  eggs  in  Mr. 
Emerson's  collection  was  taken  by  Mr.  George  H.  Ready,  April  13, 
1885,  in  Santa  Cruz  county,  California.  They  were  taken  from  an  old 
cavity  of  a  Gairdner's  Woodpecker  in  a  maple  stub,  eight  feet  from 
the  ground.  The  eggs  are  similar  to  some  specimens  of  the  Black- 
capped  Chickadee,  Parus  atricapillus^  being  white,  sparsely  marked 
over  the  entire  surface  with  red  spots,  and  tending  to  form  a  ring  at 
the  larger  end;  average  size  is  .63  x  .47. 

742.    Chamaea  fasciata    Game.    [35,  ;>a'^'.] 

Wren-Tit. 

Hab.    Coast  region  of  California. 

The  Groimd-Tit  or  Wren-Tit,  which  partakes  of  the  features  of  a 
wren  and  a  titmouse,  may  not  be  considered  a  common  species  in  the 
Pacific  Coast  region  of  California.     On  account  of  its  retired  habits 


422 


NESTS  AND   EGGS  OF 


it  is  seldom  seen.  It  frequents  the  shrubbery  of  out-of-the-way 
ravines  and  solitary  canons,  often  where  there  is  no  water.  The  nest 
is  built  in  low  bushes  from  two  to  four  feet  above  the  ground,  is  cup- 
shape  in  form,  with  thick  walls,  and  compactly  made  ot  bark-strips, 
grasses,  fibrous  roots,  lined  with  cattle  hair.  The  cavity  measures 
about  three  inches  in  width  and  three-fourths  deep.  The  breeding 
season  begins  in  May,  and  two  broods  are  usually  reared  in  a  season. 
From  three  to  five  eggs  are  laid,  four  being  the  usual  complement; 
they  are  of  a  plain  pale  blue,  a  shade  darker  than  those  of  the  Black- 
throated  Bunting  or  Dickcissel,  Spiza  americana. 

Eight  eggs  of  this  species,  collected  by  Mr.  R.  B.  Herron  in  San 
Gorgonia  Pass  give  the  following  respective  measurements  :  .68  x  .54, 
.66  X  .54,  .69  X  .58,  .77  X  .56,  .75  X  .55,  .76  X  .56,  .75  X.55.  The  average 
size  is  .73  X  .56.  Mr.  Emerson  informs  me  that  the  birds  sit  very  close 
on  the  nest,  and  when  flushed  immediately  set  up  a  hissing  or  cricket- 
like sound. 

The  Pallid  Wren-Tit,  Chamera  fasciata  henshaxvi  Ridgw.  is  a  paler 
form,  inhabiting  the  interior  regions  of  California. 

743.    Psaltriparus  minimus    (Towns.)    [47,/ar^.] 

Biuh-Tit. 

Hab.    Northwest  coaHt,  from  Northern  Ciilifornia  to  Washington  Territory. 

This  is  a  darker-colored  species  than  the  California  Bush-Tit.  It 
is  a  common  resident  of  Oregon  and  northward  into  Washington  Ter- 
ritory. Breeds  preferredly  in  thickets  of  ash  and  willow,  building  a 
beautiful  pensile  nest  like  that  represented  in  our  illustration  of  P.  m. 
californicus.  Mr.  Norris  has  a  set  of  seven  eggs  of  this  species  which 
was  taken  near  Salem,  Oregon.  The  nest  was  made  of  moss  and  hair 
and  was  situated  in  a  sapling,  fourteen  feet  from  the  ground.  The 
eggs  are  pure  white,  unmarked,  and  measure  .60  x  .41,  .59  x  .41,  .59  x 
.41,  .59  X  .41,  .59  X  .40,  .57  X  .41,  .58  X  .40. 

743<r.    Psaltriparus  minimus  californicus    Ridgw.    [47, /ar/.] 

California  Bush-Tit. 

Hab.    California,  except  northern  coast  distric. . 

This  lighter  colored  Bush-Tit  is  a  common  bird  in  California.  It 
frequents  bushes  and  low  shrubbery,  and  very  actively  hops  among  the 
branches,  hanging  from  them  in  the  manner  of  other  Titmice.  The 
beautiful  and  bulky  purse-shaped  nest  built  by  this  species  seems  out 
of  all  proportions  to  the  diminutive  size  of  the  bird.  The  one  shown 
in  our  illustration  is  drawn  from  a  typical  specimen  collected  near 
Santa  Paula,  California,  by  Dr.  S.  P.  Guiberson,  April  11,  1885.  It  was 
suspended  from  a  small,  forked  twig,  eight  feet  from  the  ground.     It 


NORTH   AMERICAN    BIRDS. 


423 


It 

the 
fhe 


tax 

ras 
It 


is  six  inches  long.  Prof.  Evermann  says  that  the  nests  vary  all  the 
way  from  four  to  twenty-two  inches  in  length. 

From  five  to  nine  pure  white,  unmarked  eggs  are  laid,  commonly 
six  or  seven.    Ten  eggs  out  of  a  number  collected  by  Mr.  R.  B.  Her- 
ron  in  San  Gorgonia  Pass  in  May,  measure  .51  x  .40,  .53  x  .40,  .51  x  .39, 
•54  X  .40,  .55  X  .41,  -56  X  .41,  .54  X  .41,  .55  X  .43,  .54  X  .44,  .54  X  .42. 
744.    Psaltrlparus  plumbeus    Baird.     [48.] 

The  Lead-colored  Bnah-Tlt. 

Hnb.  Rocky  Mountain  district,  from  W;:stern  Colnrado  and  Wyoming  Territory  to  Eastern  Orvgon 
and  Western  Nevada,  south  to  Southern  New  Mexico  and  Arizona 

The  following  is  Captain  Charles  E.  Bendire's  account  of  the  nest- 
ing and  eggs  of  this  species; 

"Although  this  little  Bush-Tit  is  a  widely  distributed  species 
throughout  the  West,  and  has  been  known  to  naturalists  for  more  than 
thirty  years,  nothing  whatever  has  been  placcil  on  record  respecting 
its  nesting  habits.  The  credit  for  the  discovery  of  their  nests  and  eggs 
belongs  to  Lieutenant  Benson,  who  found  them  breeding  abundantly 
in  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Huachuca  during  the  month  of  April,  1887. 
Their  favorite  abiding  places  seemed  to  be  along  dry  water-courses,  up 
narrow  ravines,  running  into  the  mountains  and  on  the  flats,  covered 
with  scrub-oak,  between  the  hill-sides;  he  says  that  they  are  exceed- 
ingly tame,  perfectly  iniconscious  of  danger,  and  will  work  on  their 
nests  with  a  person  not  ten  feet  away  from  them.  They  are  one  of  the 
first  birds  to  arrive  in  the  spring,  but  are  not  resident  throughout  the 

year. 

"The  nests,  of  which  a  number  are  before  me,  are  all  more  or  less 

gourd-like  in  form ;  that  is,  considerably  narrower  near  the  top  than 
around  the  bottom.  They  are  not  strictly  pensile,  but  are  woven  into 
and  supported  by  small  twigs  and  branches  of  the  oak  bushes  {Qner- 
cus  undnlaia?)  in  which  they  are  built.  Several  xiests  were  placed  in 
bunches  of  a  species  of  mistletoe  (probably  Phorcdcndron  fiavesccns)^ 
and  in  these  cases  the  nests  are  supported  and  placed  directly  in  the 
forks  of  this  plant.  They  vary  in  length  from  7  to  93^  inches  and  from 
4  to  5  inches  in  diameter.  The  entrance  to  the  nest  is  on  the  side, 
near  the  top  of  the  structure,  about  three-quarters  of  an  inch  in  diame- 
ter. The  inner  cavity  is  from  4  to  5  inches  deep,  and  about  \y>  inches 
in  diameter.  The  nests  are  outwardly  composed  of  the  dried,  curled- 
up  leaves  of  the  white  sage,  plant-down  of  a  pinkish  tint,  spider  webs, 
small  bits  of  mosses  and  lichens,  and  are  thickly  lined  inside  with  soft, 
small  feathers.  The  walls  of  the  nest  increase  in  thickness  from  top 
to  bottom,  so  that  while  near  the  top  they  are  not  over  three- eighths 
of  an  inch  through,  near  the  bottom  they  are  fully  ij^  inches  thick. 


m 

I 

II 

.■.iliii;ll 


I'tlill 


424 


NESTS  AND   EGGS  OF 


The  nests  are  placed  in  about  equal  proportions  in  low  oak  bushes, 
from  five  to  seven  feet  from  the  ground,  generally  well  concealed  by 
the  roli?we,  or  in  bunches  of  mistletoe  in  oak  or  mesquite  trees,  from 
15  to  20  feet  high.  Some  of  these  birds  commenced  building  in  th*: 
first  week  of  March,  but  no  eggs  were  discovered  in  any  of  the  nests 
tall  fully  a  month  later,  the  first  ones  being  taken  April  8,  1887. 

"The  number  of  eggs  to  a  set  varies  from  four  to  six,  five  being 
the  most  common  number  found.  Probably  two  or  more  broods  are 
raised  during  the  season.  The  eggs  are  pure  white  in  color,  ovate  in 
shape,  and  measure  ,56  x  .42  inches  for  the  largest  to  .49  x  .40  for  the 
smallest.    Their  average  size  is  .53  x  .40  inch."  * 

Capt.  B.  F.  Goss  has  a  set  of  four  eggs  of  the  Lead-colored  Bush- 
Tit,  taken  near  Fort  Huachuca,  Arizona,  April  10,  1887.  These  meas- 
ure .55  X  .45,  .55  X  .44,  .56  X  .45,  .58  X  .44. 

746.    Auriparus  flaviceps    (Sund.)    [50.] 

Verdin. 

Hab.  Northern  regions  of  Mexico  and  contiguous  portions  of  the  United  States,  from  Southern 
Texas  to  Arizona  and  Lower  California. 

The  little  Yellow-headed  Bush-TiL  or  Verdin  is  a  common  bird  in 
suitable  localities  throughout  the  arid  regions  of  Northern  Mexico,  the 
southern  portions  of  Texas,  Arizona,  New  Mexico,  and  in  Lower  Cali- 
fornia. It  is  smaller  than  the  largest  North  American  Hummingbird, 
Eugenes  fulgens^  which  inhabits  Southern  Arizona  and  southward. 
This  species  measures  about  5.00  in  length,  while  the  length  of  the 
Verdin  varies  from  4.00  to  4.60  inches.  Notwithstanding  the  diminu- 
tive size  of  the  bird,  it  builds  a  ren^arkable  structure  for  a  nest  —  large, 
and  bulky,  and  a  marvel  of  bird  architecture.  It  is  comparatively  easy 
to  find,  being  built  near  the  ends  of  the  branches  of  some  low,  thorny 
tree  or  shrub  —  in  the  numerous  varieties  of  cacti  and  thorny  bushes 
which  grow  in  the  regions  of  its  home. 

The  nest  is  globular,  flask-shaped  or  retort-shape  in  form,  the 
ijmtside  being  one  mass  of  thorny  twigs  and  stems  interwoven,  while 
tlie  middle  is  composed  of  flower  stems  and  the  lining  is  of  feathers. 
The  entran.e  is  a  small  circular  opening.  Mr.  Sennett  took  a  number 
®f  the  birds,  nests  and  eggs  at  Lomita,  on  the  Lower  Rio  Grande.  Dr. 
Merrill  did  not  observe  this  species  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  Fort 
Brown,  Texas,  but  it  was  rather  common  at  Edinburgh  in  April  and 
May,  frequenting  mostly  aniaigosa  chapparal.  Mr.  H.  P.  Atwater 
found  it  a  resident  and  quite  common  at  San  Antonio,  Bex-ir  county, 
Texas,  where  a  number  cf  skins,  nests  and  eggs  were  taken  in  1884; 

•  N.  >!  on  p  '•ollection  of  Bird-.' Nests  and  Eggs  from  Southern  Arizona  Territory.  By  Capt.  Chas. 
%,  Bcdirc.  U.  S.  ceedings  of  U.  S.  National  Museum,  1887,  pp.  557-558. 


iy^j«u,jHJ._^.|!l,m  ■ 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


425 


the  first  nest  was  found  March  31,  and  contained  four  fresh  eggs.  Mr. 
Atwater  says  that  the  birds  occupy  the  nests  during  the  winter  months, 
and  the  inside  is  made  much  warmer  by  the  addition  of  feathers.  The 
birds  are  generally  found  nesting  i«  the  high,  dry  parts  of  the  country, 
away  from  tall  timber,  where  the  thorns  are  the  thickest. 

From  three  to  six  eggs  are  deposited,  of  a  bluish  or  greenish-white 
or  pale  blue,  speckled,  chiefly  round  the  larger  end,  with  reddish- 
brown.     Their  averave  size  is  .59  x.  43. 

748.    Regulus  satrapa    Light.     [33.] 

Ooldenoorowned  Kinglet. 

Hab.  Eastern  and  Northern  North  America  as  far  west  as  the  Rocky  Mountains.  Breeds  in  the 
northern  and  elevated  portions  of  United  States  northward;  wintering  nearly  throughout  Eastern  United 
States  southward  to  Northern  Central  America 

Although  a  dainty  little  creature,  the  Golden-crowned  Kinglet  ap- 
pears to  be  of  a  hardy  nature,  being  found  during  the  winter  months 
nearly  throughout  the  Eastern  States.  Breeds  from  the  northern  por- 
tions of  the  United  States  northward,  moving  south  in  the  fall,  return- 
ing northward  in  spring,  and  retiring  to  its  breeding  grounds.  It  is 
resident  in  Northern  New  England. 

Mr.  H.  D.  Minot  found  a  nest  of  this  species  containing  young,  in 
the  White  Mountains  of  New  Hampshire,  July  16,  1876.  *  The  late 
Dr.  T.  M.  Brewer  describes  a  nest  which  doubtless  belonged  to  this 
bird,  and  which  was  found  in  the  neighborhood  of  Bangor,  Maine.  It 
contained  ten  eggs  and  was  built  in  a  fir  tree,  at  an  altitude  of  six  feet. 
It  consisted  of  a  large  bail  of  green  moss,  about  four  and  a  half  inches 
in  diameter.  A  nest  was  found  by  Dr.  Northrup  at  Caribou,  Maine, 
containing  an  incomplete  set  (five  eggs).  It  was  placed  j.artly  pend- 
ant from  a  horizontal  branch  of  a  small  hemlock  at  the  edge  of  a  for- 
est. Mr.  Chat;.  H.  Andros  records  a  nest  containing  ten  eggs,  taken 
"on  or  about  June  i,"  at  Grand  Manan,  New  Brunswick.  This  nest 
was  saddled  on  a  spruce  limb  and  was  similar  in  shape  to  the  nest  of 
the  Blue-gray  Gnatcatcher,  but  much  larger  and  deeper,  and  was  ex- 
ternally covered  with  green  moss,  cobwebs  and  lichens,  internally 
lined  with  soft  down  and  sheep's  wool,  t 

By  far  the  best  account  we  have  of  the  nidification  of  the  Golden- 
crested  Kinglet  is  that  recently  given  by  Mr.  William  Brewster,  who 
found  it  nesting  in  a  dense  woods  of  mixed  pines  and  spruce,  on  low, 
rather  swampy  ground,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Winchendon,  Worces- 
ter county,  i\Iass.  |  W'ith  the  assistance  of  Messrs.  C.  E.  Bailey,  S.  W. 
Denton  and  H.  M.  Spelman,  three  nests  were  secured,  two  with  sets  of 

f  Minot's  Land  and  Game  Birds  of  New  England,  p.  56. 
t  Ornithologist  and  Oologist,  XII,  203-201. 
t  The  Auk,  V,  337-S«. 


I     ' 


i 


i\  \ 


426 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


it " 


IS 

Pi! 


nine  eggs  each.  They  were  found  June  13,  16,  and  17,  (1888),  respect- 
ively, and  were  all  taken  on  the  29th.  The  first  was  placed  in  a  tall, 
slender  spruce,  within  about  two  feet  of  the  top  of  the  tree,  and  at 
least  sixty  feet  above  the  ground ;  suspended  among  the  fine  pendant 
twigs,  about  two  i aches  below  a  short  horizontal  branch,  some  twelve 
inches  out  from  the  main  stem ;  the  second  was  in  a  heavily-limbed 
spruce,  about  fifty  feet  above  the  ground,  twenty  feet  below  the  top  of  the 
tree,  six  feet  out  from  the  branch,  in  a  dense  cluster  of  stiff  radiating 
twigs ;  the  third  was  also  in  a  spruce,  thirty  feet  from  the  ground, 
twelve  feet  out  from  the  main  stem  and  five  feet  from  the  end  of  the 
branch.  This  nest  on  the  29th  contained  no  eggs,  and  was  evidently  de- 
serted ;  it  was  found  in  a  dilapidated  condition.  In  position  the  first 
nest  resembles  that  of  the  Baltimore  Oriole,  being  near  the  ends  of 
long,  drooping  twigs.  The  second  is  built  more  like  a  Vireo's,  but 
with  this  difference,  that  instead  of  being  suspended  by  its  upper  edges 
only,  and  between  the  forks  of  a  single  stem,  it  is  supported  on  every 
side,  and  from  the  top  nearly  to  the  bottom,  by  numerous  stiff,  radiat- 
ing twigs.  It  is  nevertheless  a  distinctly  pensile  nest.  The  third  is 
different  from  either  of  the  others  in  position.  Placed  nearly  midway 
between  two  stoiit  branches,  which  in  leality  are  forks  of  the  same 
branch,  one  above  the  other,  and  attached  by  the  sides  and  upper 
edges  to  the  twigs  which  depend  from  the  branch  above,  while  its  bot- 
tom rests  firmly  on  a  bristling  platform  of  stems  which  rise  from 
the  branch  below.     Thus  it  is  at  once  pensile  and  non-pensile. 

The  material  used  in  the  construction  of  these  nests  on  the  exte- 
rior is  chiefly  green  mosses,  diversified  with  grayish  lichens  and  usnea, 
the  whole  resembling  the  general  color  of  the  surrounding  foliage. 
The  interior  at  the  bottom  is  lined  with  delicate  strips  of  soft  inner 
bark  and  fine  black  rootlets.  Near  the  top  are  rather  numerous  feath- 
ers of  the  Ruffed  Grouse,  Red  Crossbill,  Hermit  Thrush,  and  Oven- 
bird,  arranged  with  the  points  of  the  quills  down,  the  tips  rising  to  or 
slightly  above  the  rim,  and  arching  inward  over  the  cavity,  forming  a 
screen  that  partially  concealed  the  eggs.  In  both  nests,  the  space  be- 
ing too  small  f<  the  accommodation  of  the  numerous  eggs,  they  were 
piled  in  two  layers,  one  above  the  other.  In  the  first  nest  the  num- 
ber in  each  layer  was  not  noted,  but  in  the  second  five  eggs  were  in 
the  lower  layer  and  four  in  the  upper.  All  of  these  nests  were  found 
by  watching  the  birds  building;  and,  taking  into  consideration  the 
dim  light  of  dense  spruce  woods,  the  torture  one  must  endure  from 
mosquitoes  while  watching  the  erratic  and  piizzling  movements  of  the 
birds  flying  from  branch  to  branch  with  their  bills  filled  with  material, 


a-jj,.u  Ji 


■?fsp^  ■ 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


427 


'm 


the  rapidity  and  unaccountable  way  in  which  the  substance  was  often 
deposited  in  the  clusters  of  dense  foliage,  made  it  a  very  difficult  and 
tedious  task  to  locate  the  nest  in  the  many  similar  dark  clusters  in  the 
spruces.  *  • 

The  eggs  vary  from  creamy-white  to  exceedingly  deep,  often  some- 
what muddy,  cream  color,  sprinkled  with  numerous  markings  of  pale 
wood-brown,  varying  from  small  dots  to  blotches.  Three  specimens 
are  described  by  Mr.  Brewster  as  having  spots  and  blotches  of  faint 
lavender.  The  markings  of  most  of  the  specimens  are  distributed 
pretty  thickly  over  the  entire  shell,  but  in  nearly  all  they  are  most  nu- 
merous about  the  larger  ends,  where  they  form  a  more  or  less  distinct 
wreath.  The  wsizes  of  Set  A,  nine  eggs,  are  .56  x  .44,  .57  x  .44,  .55  x  .42, 
•57  X  .43,  -57  X  .44.  -56  X  .45,  .57  X  .44,  .57  X  .44. 

748«.    Regalus  satrapa  olivaceus    Baird    [33d.] 

'Western  Goldeu-orowned  Kinglet. 

Hab.     Pacific  coast  region  from  California  to  Sitka, 

The  nesting  and  eggs  of  this  Pacific  coast  form  of  Golden-crowned 
Kinglet  are  similar  to  those  of  J^.  satrapa. 

749.     ..egul'ds  calendula    (Linn.)    [30.] 

Rnby-orowned  Kinglet* 

Hab.  Entire  North  America,  breeding  from  the  northern  border  and  higher  mountains  of  the  United 
States  northward.     Winters  in  more  Southern  United  States  and  southward  to  Northern  Central  America. 

The  Ruby-crowned  Kinglet  breeds  from  the  extreme  northern 
border  and  higher  mountains  of  the  United  States  northward.  Mr. 
W.  E.  D.  Scott  took  a  nest  containing  five  eggs  on  June  25,  at  Twin 
Lakes,  Colorado.  The  nest  w^as  suspended  to  the  leaves  of  the  utter- 
most twigs  of  a  pine  tree,  much  like  a  Vireo's  nest,  and  about  twelve 
feet  from  the  ground.  Mr.  Frank  M.  Drew  states  that  in  San  Juan 
c.cunty,  Colorado,  this  bird  breeds  from  7000  to  loooo  feet  altitude.  A 
nest  taken  July  5  was  placed  in  the  uppermost  branches  of  a  spruce 
thirty  feet  from  the  ground — in  one  of  those  dark  masses  where  the 
cones  grow  thickest.  It  contained  four  young  and  one  addled  egg. 
Dr.  Merrill  found  a  nest  ot  this  species  containing  eight  eggs,  in  Mon- 
tana, on  the  -  jth  of  June,  at  an  elevation  of  7700  feet.  It  was  in  a 
fir  tree  about  eighteen  feet  from  the  ground,  and  placed  directly  against 
the  trunk,  supported  by  a  single  branch  beneath,  and  by  several  twigs 
to  which  the  sides  were  firmly  attached.     Di.  Merrill  also  found  these 

"  Mr.  Brewster  says  that  in  her  flights  after  building  material  the  female  went  a  distance  of  a  hundred 
yards  or  more,  but  oftener  she  confined  her  quest  to  the  trees  within  a  radius  of  fifty  yards  or  less  of  the  one 
which  concealed  the  nest.  She  was  invariably  followed  closely  by  the  male,  who.  however,  did  not  assist  her 
in  any  way  ether  than  by  singing  almost  incessantly  in  an  undert.ne.  In  the  case  of  the  nests  discovered, 
the  males'  singing  was  the  characteristic  performance  which  attracted  attention  to  the  spot  where  the  fe- 
male was  at  w*rk.  ' 


.1 
i'l 


428 


NESTS   AND   EGGS   OK 


Hi 


Il|: 


birds  common  about  Fort  Klamath,  Oregon,  apparently  placing  their 
nests  in  uense  firs.  Mr.  Montague  Chamberlain  records  a  nest  which 
was  taken  at  Lennoxville,  Quebec,  May  15,  1882.  This  was  pensile, 
and  was  attached  to  the  branch  of  a  small  tree.  It  contain-'^d  nine 
eggs,  one  of  them  a  Cowbird's. 

The  nests  of  the  Ruby-crown  vary  somewhat  in  their  general 
style  of  structure  and  in  composition.  They  are  usually  semi-pensile, 
neatly  and  well  made  with  soft,  thick  walls,  composed  of  moss,  fine 
strips  of  bark,  and  well  lined  with  feathers  of  various  birds,  which 
are  woven  into  the  sides  and  bottom  of  the  structure. 

The  eggs  are  five  to  nine  in  number,  and  are  dull  whitish  or  pale 
buffy,  faintly  speckled  or  spotted  with  light  brown,  chiefly  at  the  larger 
ends.  Their  average  size  is  .55  x  .43.  Some  of  the  eggs  of  this  bird  are 
said  to  be  nearly  plain. 

750.    Regulus  obscurus    Ridgw.     [31.] 

Dusky  Kinglet. 

Hab.     Guadalupe  Island,  Lower  California. 

Mr.  Walter  E.  Bryant  found  the  Dusky  Kinglet  frequenting  more 
numerously  the  large  cypress  grove  on  Guadalupe  Island ;  they  were 
also  found  in  the  smaller  groves  and  among  the  pines.  As  early 
as  the  middle  of  February,  nest-building  was  in  order,  the  birds  select- 
ing the  topmost  foliage  of  a  cypress,  and  sometimes  the  very  outer  ex- 
tremity of  a  horizontal  branch.  After  many  days'  diligent  search, 
three  nests  were  observed,  and  these  were  detected  by  watching  the 
birds  collect  building  material,  or  by  tracing  to  its  source  a  peculiar, 
low  song  which  the  male  sometimes  sings  when  close  to  the  nest. 
These  nests  were  all  found  over  twenty  feet  high,  and  only  one  could 
be  seen  from  the  ground,  and  that  merely  during  the  intervals  when 
the  wind  parted  the  branches.  They  were  placed  in  the  midst  of  a 
thick  bunch  of  foliage  and  but  lightly  secured  to  the  twigs.  Compact, 
though  not  very  smooth  in  structure,  they  were  composed  of  soft  bark- 
strips  intermingled  with  feathers,  bits  of  moss,  fine  grass  and  cocoons. 
Additional  warmth  is  secured  by  a  quantity  either  of  goat's  hair  or 
feathers,  and,  lastly,  a  thin  lining  of  goat's  hair.  Their  external  meas- 
urement is  aboiit  70  mm.  in  height  by  90  mm.  in  diameter,  while  the 
internal  depth  is  about  45  mm.,  and  diameter  35  to  45  mm.  * 

A  nest  containing  two  fresh  eggs  was  fonnd  March  24,  in  the 
top  of  a  slender  cypress  twenty-five  feet  high.  It  could  not  be  seen 
from  the  ground,  but  was  located  by  the  subdued  song  of  the  male 
bird.     In  color  the  eggs  are  white,  with  a  dense  wreath  of  pale  yellow- 

*  External  height  about  2  76,  diameter  3.5-1;  internal  depth  1.77,  and  diameter  1.38  to  1.77. 


»^ 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


429 


ish-brown  spots  encircling  the  larger  end.  In  some  places  these  spots 
appear  to  be  laid  over  a  pale  lavender  washing,  and  in  one  specimen, 
these  fine,  almost  indistinct  dots  extend  sparingly  over  the  entire  sur- 
face.    They  measure  in  millimeters,  14  x  ii  and  15  x  11.  f 

751    Polioptila  caerulea    (Linn.)    [27.] 

Bine-gray  Onatoatoher. 

Hab.  United  States  chiefly  south  of  latitude  42'-.  Winters  in  the  Gulf  States,  Cuba  and  Bahamas, 
occasionally  Mexico  and  Northern  Central  America.  Rare  north  toward  the  Great  Lakes,  Southern  New 
York,  Southern  New  England. 

The  Blue-gray  Gnatcatcher  is  an  abundant  bird  throughout  most 
of  the  wooded  districts  of  the  United  States,  breeding  in  suitable 
places,  south  of  42°.  As  a  work  of  beauty  and  ingenious  architectural 
design  the  nest  of  this  bird  has  few  equals  in  this  country.  On  the  whole 
it  is  a  rather  frail  structure,  usually  built  in  the  small  upright  twigs  or 
saddled  on  the  horizontal  limbs  of  trees  at  heights  ranging  from  ten  to 
fifty  feet,  but  generally  at  an  elevation  of  about  fifteen  or  twenty  feet. 
The  typical  nest  has  high,  compact  walls,  contracted  at  the  brim  and 
gracefully  turned ;  the  interior  is  deeply  cupped,  and  the  exterior  is  beauy 
tifully  ornamented  with  lichens.  The  nest  shown  in  our  illustration 
is  selected  from  eight  specimens  which  I  took  on  a  little  island  in  the 
Scioto  river,  Franklin  county,  Ohio,  May  27,  1885.  Ten  nests  of  this 
species  collected  by  Mr.  R.  B.  Herron  in  San  Gorgonia  Pass,  California, 
are  entirely  deficient  of  the  lichens  which  characterize  the  Ohio  nests. 
The  interior  is  composed  of  soft  downy  materials  —  cotton-like  sub- 
stances of  withered  blossoms  and  the  silky  down  of  the  milkweed 
— fine  wiry  grasses,  stems  of  old  leaves,  horse  hair  and  an  occasional 
feather  from  the  breast  of  the  bird  is  intermingled.  The  cavity  meas- 
ures from  one  to  one  and  a  half  inches  deep,  and  about  the  same  in 
diame  ter.  At  a  short  distance  the  nest  often  looks  like  a  round  knot 
protruding  from  the  limb. 

The  eggs  are  four  or  five  in  number ;  their  ground-color  is  green- 
ish or  bluish-white,  speckled  with  chestnut,  and  in  some  the  markings 
are  of  a  darker  brownish  tinge.  Ten  specimens  measure,  .55  x  .42,  .56 
X  .43,  .57  x  .45,  .58  X  .45,  .57  x  .42,  .56  x  .41,  .58  x  .47,  .59  x  .44,  .58  x  .44, 

•59  X  45- 

752.    Polioptila  plumbea    Baird.    [28.] 

PlumbeouB  Gnatoatoher. 

Hab.  Southwestern  border  of  the  United  States  —  Southern  Texas  to  Lowek  Rio  Grande  Valley; 
Northern  Mexico  and  Lower  California  to  Cape  St.  Lucas. 

A  nest  of  the  Plumbeous  Gnatcatcher  was  taken  at  Yuma,  Arizona, 
by  Mr.  F.  Stephens,  July  15,  1881.  It  was  placed  in  a  bunch  of  mistle- 
toe, at  a  height  of  about  eight  feet  from  the  ground,  and  contained  one 

t  .55  X  AZ,  .5!)  X  .43. 


(hv. 


430 


NESTS   AND   EGGS   OF 


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m 


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[A 

hi; 


IS- 


egg  of  its  owner  and  one  of  the  Dwarf  Cowbird.  Mr.  William  Brews- 
ter says  that  although  a  delicate  structure  the  nest  will  not  compare 
with  that  of  the  Blue-gray  Gnatcatcher,  entirely  lacking  the  exterior 
coating  of  lichens,  but  in  its  general  appearance  closely  resembles  the 
Redstart's,  being  felted  with  soft  bark-strips  and  hemp-like  vegetable 
fibres.  It  was  lined  with  plant  down,  a  few  feathers  and  the  hair  of 
some  small  quadruped.  Mr.  Brewster  describes  the  eggs  as  pale  green- 
ish-blue, coarsely  and  very  evenly  spotted  with  reddish-brown ;  size 
.53  X  .42.  *  Mr.  Stephens  found  two  nests  of  the  Black-capped  Gnat- 
catcher  at  Yuma,  Arizona,  in  May,  1886,  containing  four  eggs  each ; 
one  of  these  contained  an  egg  of  Molothriis  ater  obsairns.  f  A  set 
of  four  eggs  in  Mr.  Norris'  collection  was  taken  April  4,  1886,  near 
Pima,  Arizona.  They  exactly  resemble  those  of  P.  cceculea,  and  meas- 
ure .55  X  .42,  .52  X  .42,  .53  x  .43,  .54  X  .43.   ^ 

753.    PoUoptila  californica    Brewst.    [29.] 

Black-tailed  Gnatoatoher. 

Hab.     Pacific  coast  of  Southern  California  and  northern  portion  of  Lower  California. 

"  This  gnat-catcher  was  first  described  by  Mr.  William  Brewster, 
from  specimens  collected  by  Mr.  F.  Stephens,  near  Riverside,  San 
Bernardino  county,  California,  March  28,  1878. 

*'A  nest  and  four  eggs  of  this  species  have  recently  been  obtained 
from  Mr.  Stephens,  to  whom  the  credit  belongs  for  the  discovery  of 
the  first  specimens.  These  were  taken  near  the  town  of  San  Bernar- 
dino, California,  on  May  2,  1887,  and  are  now  in  the  National  Museum 
collection  (Catalogue  No.  23294). 

"The  nest  of  P.  californica^  like  that  of  P.  pliimbea  Baird,  from 
Arizona  Territory,  differs  radically  iu  its  structure  from  that  of  its 
Eastern  relative,  P.  cccrulea  (Linn.),  which  is  too  well  known  to  orni- 
thologists to  require  description.  It  lacks  entirely  the  artistic  finish  of 
the  lichen-covered  structure  of  the  former,  and  resembles  more  in 
shape  certain  forms  of  the  nest  of  the  Summer  Yellow  Warb'ler,  Den- 
droica  cestiva  (Gml.),  and  the  American  Redstart,  Setophaga  ruticilla 
(Linn.). 

"The  nest  is  cone-shaped,  built  in  the  forks  of  a  small  shrub,  a 
species  of  mahogany,  Coleogyne  ramosessima  (Torr.)  I  think,  only 
two  feet  from  the  ground,  and  it  is  securely  fastened  to  several  of  the 
twigs  among  which  it  is  placed.  Its  walls  are  about  half  an  inch  in 
thickness.  The  material  of  which  the  nest  is  composed,  is  well  quilt- 
ed together  and  makes  a  compact  and  solid  structure.     Externally  the 

*  Bull.  Nutt.  Ornith.  Club,  VII,  p.  77. 

t  Bull.  No.  2,  Ridgway  Or.iithological  Club;  April,  1887,  pp.  5ft-57. 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


4;u 


nest  is  composed  principally  of  hemp-like  vegetable  fiber  mixed  with 
small  curled-up  leaves  of  the  white  sage,  Eiirotia  lanata^  plant-down, 
and  fragments  of  spiders'  webs.  Inside  the  nest  is  lined  with  the 
same  hemp-like  fiber,  only  mnch  finer,  and  a  few  feathers.  The  cavi- 
ty of  the  nest  is  cup-shaped  and  rather  deep.  Externally  the  nest 
measures  2>^  inches  in  diameter  by  3^  inches  in  depth.  The  inner 
diameter  is  13^  inches  by  i^x  inches  in  depth.  Compared  with  a  nest 
of  Polioptila  plumbea  Baird,  now  before  me,  from  Arizona  Territory, 
it  seems  much  better  constructed  and  also  somewhat  larger. 

"  I  took  three  nests  of  the  latter  species  near  Tucson,  Arizona,  dur- 
ing the  months  of  May  and  June,  1872.  Two  of  these  were  placed  in 
bunches  of  mistletoe,  probably  PJwredendron  flavcscens^  growing  on 
mesquite  trees  from  twelve  to  twenty  feet  from  the  ground ;  and  one 
of  them  is  described  in  the  '  History  of  North  American  Birds,'  by 
Baird,  Brewer,  and  Ridgway,  Volume  III,  page  502.  The  third  nest 
was  placed  in  a  crotch  of  a  cholla  cactus. 

"  The  ground-color  of  the  eggs  of  the  Polioptila  californica  Brews- 
ter is  bright  light  green,  much  more  pronounced  than  in  the  eggs  of 
either  P.  ccsrulea  and  P.  plinnbeay  now  before  me.  They  are  covered 
with  minute  spots  of  a  brownish-red  color  distributed  irregularly  over 
the  entire  surface  of  the  egg,  but  nowhere  so  thick  as  to  hide  the 
ground-color.    These  eggs  measure  .50  x  .45,  .58  x  .45,  .57  x  45,  and  .57 

X  .44  inch."  * 

754,    Myadestes  townsendii    (Aud.)    [25.] 

Toiviisend's  Solitaire. 

Hab,     Western  United  States,  from  the  Plains  to  the  Pacific. 

So  far  as  I  am  aware,  Mr.  Wilbur  F.  Lamb  took  the  first  known 
eggs  of  Townsend's  Fly-catching  Thrush.  This  was  in  Summit  coun- 
ty, Colorado,  July,  1876,  at  an  altitude  of  about  ten  thousand  feet.  The 
nest  was  placed  in  the  upper  bank  of  a  miner's  ditch  near  Blue  River; 
it  was  partly  concealed  by  overhanging  roots,  yet  rendered  conspicuous 
by  the  loose,  swaying  material  of  which  it  was  composed.  Mr.  T.  M. 
Trippe  found  a  nest  of  this  species  in  San  Juan  county,  Colorado,  July 
9,  at  an  altitude  of  10500  feet ;  it  was  built  in  a  little  cranny  in  a  bank, 
and  contained  four  eggs  in  which  incubation  had  just  begun.  Dr. 
Coues  describes  a  nest  taken  by  Mr.  Wm.  G.  Smith,  of  Buffalo  Creek, 
Jefferson  county,  Colorado.  This  was  found  June  18,  1883,  and  was 
built  in  the  end  of  a  hollow  fallen  log;  it  was  about  three  feet  off  the 
ground  and  about  one  foot  from  the  end  of  the  log.  The  foundation 
of  the  nest  was  a  great  quantity  of  trash,  bits  of  sticks,  etc.,  the  nest 
proper  being  constructed  chiefly  of  pine  needles,  grasses,  and  disinte- 

Capt.  Chas.  E.  Bendire,  U.  S.  A.     Proc.  U.  S.  Nat.  Mus.,  1887,  pp.  M9-.550. 


'H»' 


I 


il 


432 


NESTS  AND   EGGS  OF 


grated  weed-stalks  —  the  whole,  loose  and  slovenly,  could  hardly  be  han- 
dled without  coining  apart. 

Mr.  Walter  E.  Bryant  describes  the  location  of  three  nests  taken 
by  Mr.  L.  Belding,  at  Big  Trees,  California,  in  various  years,  in  June. 
They  were  placed  on  the  ground  in  a  slight  depression,  and  concealment 
was  attempted  by  the  aid  of  weeds,  a  stone,  or  a  large  piece  of  bark. 
One  nest  was  built  on  the  ground,  within  the  semi-circular  cavity  of  a 
standing  tree.  The  nests  were  composed  mostly  of  pine  needles.  Mr. 
Norris  has  a  set  of  four  eggs  of  this  species,  taken  near  Hancock,  Col- 
orado, June  19,  1882.  The  nest  was  placed  on  the  ground,  on  the  side 
of  a  steep  bank.  The  eggs  are  whitish,  speckled  and  spotted  with  ha- 
zel, thickest  at  the  larger  end,  where  they  are  almost  confluent ;  sizes, 
.94  X  .68,  .93  X  .68,  .94  X  .68,  .98  x  .65.  Mr.  Lamb  describes  the  eggs 
which  he  obtained  as  resembling  those  of  the  Shrikes,  and  gives  the 
sizes  of  three  specimens  preserved  out  of  the  set  of  fol^r  as  i.oi  x.66, 
.94  X  .68,  .88  X  .66.  The  usual  number  laid  is  four,  with  an  average 
size  of  .93  X  .67. 

755.  Tardus  mustelinus    Gmel.     [  i.] 

Wood  Thrush. 

Hab.  F.astern  United  States,  in  summer  north  to  Southern  Michigan,  Ontario,  Massachusetts,  etc. ; 
south  in  winter  to  Northern  Central  America  and  Cuba. 

A  common  bird  in  the  woodland  of  Eastern  United  States  and  as 
far  West  as  Eastern  Kansas,  where  Col.  Goss  gives  it  as  an  abundant 
summer  resident.  Its  favorite  resorts  are  low,  damp  woods  and  thickets, 
where  it  spends  much  of  its  time  on  the  ground  scratching  among  the 
leaves.  The  bird  has  a  sweet  song,  which  it  sings  from  the  higher 
branches  of  trees,  generally  towards  the  close  of  summer  afternoons. 
The  nest  is  usually  saddled  upon  the  horizontal  limbs  of  saplings  and 
low  trees,  six  to  ten  feet  from  the  ground ;  on  the  outside  it  is  com- 
posed of  leaves,  grasses  and  stems  of  weeds,  which  are  gathered  when 
wet,  and  become  solid  and  firm ;  and  between  these  are  tracings  of 
mud ;  the  lining  is  of  small  fibrous  roots.  The  breeding  season  is  in 
May.  Usually  four  eggs  are  laid,  often  only  three.  Their  color  is  a 
plain  greenish-blue,  and  their  average  size  is  1.02  x  .74,  with  consider- 
able variation. 

756.  Turdus  fuscescens    Steph.     [2.] 

Wilton's  Thrnah. 

Hab.  Eastern  United  States  and  British  Provinces  to  the  Plains,  north  to  Manitoba,  Ontario,  Anti- 
costi,  and  Newfoundland. 

Wilson's,  the  Tawny  Thrush,  or  Veery,  is  an  abundant  species  in 
the  wooded  regions  of  Eastern  United  States.  It  is  rather  partial  to 
low,  wet  woods.  Breeds  from  about  latitude  40°  north  to  Manitoba, 
Ontario,  Anticosti,  and   Newfoundland.     It  has   been  considered  a 


m 


tofyright  iSS6, 


PLATE   XIU. 


NEST  OK   CALIFORNIA   BUSH-TIT. 


(Psaliri/>a'iis  minimus  cal'/ornicui ,) 


Page  422. 


ft  :■ 


lik. 


NORTH    AMERICAN    HIRDS. 


-133 


doubtful  brecdiug  bird  iu  Ceutral  Ohio,  has  lately  proven  to  be 
(juite  counuou  durinj^  the  summer  months.  I  took  a  nest  May  27, 
1H85,  in  the  characteristic  position — at  the  base  of  a  sapling  in  swam])y 
woods.  The  nest  is  of  the  usual  type,  composed  of  leaves,  strips  of 
grapevine  bark,  weed  stems,  and  lined  with  black  rootlets.  This  nest 
contained  three  eggs  of  its  owner  and  one  of  the  Cowbird. 

An  illustration  of  ;i  Wilson's  Thrush's  nest  appears  in  Jones'  mag- 
nificent work,  "  Nests  and  Kggs  of  liirds  of  Ohio,"  which  was  taken 
May  21,  1884.  Dr.  Jones  took  another  nest  which  was  phiced  at  the 
base  of  the  leaf  of  the  skunk-cabbage  plant,  eighteen  inches  from  the 
ground,  at  the  edge  of  swampy  woods.  Nests  of  this  bird  have  been 
found  in  hollow  trunks  of  trees,  fifteen  feet  from  the  ground,  and  in  old 
tin  cans  lying  on  the  ground  in  the  woods.  The  eggs  are  four  or  five 
in  number,  and  are  plain,  pale  greenish-blue;  average  size,  .87  x  .64. 

756rt.    Turdus  fucescens  salicicolus    (Kinow.) 

WUlow  Thriuh. 

n.(li.  Rocky  Mountain  region  of  tlie  United  St;ites,  cast  casii.illy  during  llic  migration  to  Dakota, 
Minnesota,  Illinois,  etc. 

The  Willow  Tawny  Thrush  inhabits  the  hnver  willowy  portions  of 
the  Rocky  Mountain  region  in  United  States.  IIal)its,  nests  and  eggs 
are  similar  to  those  of  Wilson's  Thrush.     J'^ggs,  .85  x  .66. 

757.    Turdus  allciffi     Haiku     (3] 

Oray-vkeokod  Thrush* 

Hab.  Eastern  North  Anierica,  west  to  the  (ireat  I'lains,  Alaska,  Kastirn  Siberia  north  to  the  Arctic 
coast.     In  winter  south  to  Costa  Kica. 

The  Gray-cheeked  Thrush  breeds  from  Labrador  and  Hudson  Bay 
north  to  the  Arctic  coast  and  the  coast  of  Bering  Sea.  It  has  been 
found  breeding  abundantly  in  the  Mackenzie  River  region  and  on  the 
Anderson  River.  The  nests  were  found,  with  all  but  few  exceptions, 
on  the  branches  of  low  trees,  Ironi  two  to  seven  feet  iiom  the  ground. 
In  a  few  exceptional  cases  they  were  built  on  the  ground.  They 
are  usually  compact,  and  composed  of  an  elaborate  interweaving  of 
fine  sedges,  leaves,  stems,  dry  grasses,  strips  of  fine  bark  and  lined 
with  fine  grasses.  Occasionally  nests  are  found  constructed  with  nnid, 
like  those  of  the  common  Robin. 

The  eggs  are  usually  four  in  number,  and  are  greenish-blue, 
marked  with  spots  of  russet  and  yellowish-brown.  Capt.  B.  F.  Goss 
has  two  eggs  of  this  species,  taken  hv  Mr.  R.  R.  MacFarlane,  at  P'ort 
Anderson,  Arctic  America.  The  nest  from  which  these  were  taken 
was  placed  in  a  low  tree.  The  eggs  are  greenish-blue,  faintly  marked 
over  the  entire  surface  with  reddish -brown.  Their  sizei  .  re  .91  x  .71, 
.91  X  .72. 

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434  NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 

757a.    Turdus  aliciJB  bicknelli    (Ridgw,)    [3, /ar/.] 

Biokneirs  Thrash. 

Hab.  In  summer,  higher  mountains  of  Northeastern  United  States  ( Catskills,  White  Mountains, 
etc.),  and  Nova  Scotia.    Winter  home  unknown. 

This  Thrush,  recently  identified  in  the  Catskill  and  White  Moun- 
tains, and  named  in  honor  of  its  discoverer,  Mr.  Eugene  P.  Bicknell. 
was  found  breeding  by  the  Rev.  J.  H.  Langille,  on  Mud  and  Seal 
Islands,  out  at  sea  off  the  coast  of  Nova  Scotia  and  westward  from  the 
city  of  Yarmouth.  These  are  almost  entirely  covered  with  a  low 
growth  of  evergreens  —  black  spruce  and  balsam  fir.  Except  the 
Robin,  Song  Sparrow,  Snowbird,  a  few  Redstarts  and  Winter  Wrens, 
almost  the  only  small  land-birds  breeding  here  are  the  Black-poll 
Warbler  and  Bicknell's  Thrush  —  the  last  two  being  very  abundant. 
Mr.  Langille  says  that  its  song  is  similar  in  tone  to  that  of  Wilson's 
Thrush,  but  more  slender  and  wiry,  and  therefore  not  nearly  so  grand 
and  musical.  The  birds  were  found  nesting  in  the  almost  impenetra- 
ble evergreen  thickets,  beneath  which  there  is  a  dense  carpet  of  moss. 
The  nests  were  all  nearly  alike  in  location,  structure  and  mater- 
ials; placed  a  few  feet  from  the  ground,  against  the  trunk  of  an  ever- 
green tree.  They  were  composed  of  various  kinds  of  mosses,  a  few 
fine  sticks,  weed-stems  and  rootlets,  and  were  lined  with  fine  bleached 
grasses.  The  nest  on  the  outside  was  as  green  as  a  bunch  of  fresh 
moss.  The  eggs  were  of  a  light  bluish-green  speckled  with  brown; 
size,  .87  X  .63.  * 

758.    Tardus  ustulatus    (Nutt.)    [4] 

Bnaset-haoked  Thrash. 

Hab.  Pacific  coast  region,  north  to  Sitka;  south,  in  winter,  through  Western  Mexico,  to  Northern 
Central  America. 

The  Russet-backed  Thrush  is  a  common  species  in  suitable  locali- 
ties along  the  Pacific  coast  of  California  and  northward.  Mr.  A.  W. 
Anthony  states  that  it  is  not  an  uncommon  summer  resident  of  Wash- 
ington county,  Oregon.  The  bird  frequents  the  deepest  thickets,  and 
when  disturbed  utters  an  alarm  note  like  that  of  the  Brown  Thrasher, 
chuck^  chuck.  It  is  also  a  fine  songster,  and  may  be  heard  at  dusk  and 
early  morning.  The  nest  is  built  in  thickets  or  bushes,  a  few  feet 
above  the  ground.  It  is  composed  of  twigs,  grasses,  roots  and  leaves, 
and  in  some  cases  mosses  are  used.  A  set  of  four  eggs  taken  near  San 
Jose,  California,  May  18,  1885,  gives  the  following  dimensions:  .92  x 
.65,  .95  x  .66,  .97  X  .68,  .97  x  .68.  They  are  greenish-blue  spotted  with 
yellowish-brown,  chiefly  about  the  larger  end.  The  average  size  of 
ten  specimens  is  .94  x  .65. 

*  Our  Birds  in  their  Haunts:  A  Popular  Treatise  on  the  Birds  of  Eastern  North  America  By  Rev, 
Hibbert  Langille,  M.  A.     Boston:     P.  E.  Cassino  &  Co.     1884.    Pp.  511-613. 


NORTH  AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


435 


758a.    Turdas  ustalatns  swainsonii    (Cab.)    [4a.] 

Olive-baoked  Thrnali. 

Hab.  Eastern  North  Amcica,  west  to  and  including  Rocky  Mountains,  and  as  far  as  East  Hum- 
boldt ranges  and  the  Upper  Columbia.  Breeds  chiefly  north  of  the  United  States,  wintering  from  the  Gulf 
States  and  Mississippi  Valley  southward  to  Northern  South  America. 

The  Olive-backed  Thrush  breeds  chiefly  north  of  the  l/nited 
States.  It  is  g;iven  as  a  common  breeding  bird  in  the  Wahsatch 
Mountains,  Utah.  Mr.  Kennicot  found  it  nesting  in  the  Arctic 
regions,  frequently  placing  the  nest  not  more  than  two  feet  from  the 
ground.  In  his  Catalogue  of  the  Birds  of  New  Brunswick,*  Mr.  M. 
Chamberlain  gives  it  as  a  summer  resident,  breeding  in  abundance. 
Breeds  abundantly  in  Nova  Scotia.  In  some  parts  of  Maine  and 
New  Hampshire  it  is  the  commonest  Thrush,  except  the  Robin, 
during  the  breeding  season,  f  Mr.  Frank  H.  L<attin  has  for  two 
successive  years  found  nests  and  eggs  of  the  Olive-backed  Thrush 
at  Gaines,  Orleans  county.  New  York,  within  a  short  distance  of  his 
residence.  Dr.  Morris  Gibbs  has  taken  its  nest  and  eggs  in  Kala- 
mazoo county,  Michigan.  It  may  be  found  breeding  in  Northern 
Ohio.  This  species,  like  the  Hermit  Thrush,  frequents  retired  wood- 
land, but  its  mode  of  nesting  (except  the  structure  of  the  nest),  as 
well  as  its  eggs,  are  quite  different. 

The  nest  is  built  in  a  bush  or  small  forest  tree,  a  few  feet  from  the 
ground  —  usually  from  five  to  eight  feet.  It  is  composed  of  a  mass  of 
leaves,  twigs,  shreds  of  bark,  and,  in  the  Arctic  regions,  moss  is  one  of 
the  principal  substances  which  enter  into  its  composition.  The  nests 
average  about  four  inches  in  diameter  by  two  in  height,  the  cavity  be- 
ing three  wide  by  one  and  a  half  deep.  The  eggs  are  usually  deposit- 
ed in  the  first  part  of  June,  these  being  three  or  four  in  number,  of 
greenish-blue  (some  much  duller  than  others),  speckled  with  reddish- 
brown  and  other  tints.     Their  average  size  is  .92  x  .66. 

759.    Turdus  aonalaschkae    Gmel.    [  5  ] 

Dwarf  Hermit  Thrush. 

Hab.  Pacific  coast  region,  breeding  from  California  northward;  south  in  winter  to  Lower  California 
and  Western  Mexico;  during  the  migrations  east  to  Nevada  and  Arizona. 

The  Dwarf  Hermit  Thrush  breeds  from  the  mountains  of  Califor- 
nia northward  as  far  as  Kadiak.  Very  few  of  the  eggs  of  this  species 
appear  in  the  numerous  collections,  and  from  the  meagre  ac- 
counts we  have  concerning  them,  they  must  be  considered  rare.  Mr. 
Chas.  N.  Comstock,  of  Oakland,  California,  found  a  nest  of  this  species 
containing  two  eggs,  in  June,  1883,  while  on  a  collecting  trip  to  the 
Calaveras  group  of  big  trees.     The  nest  was  placed  in  a  bush  about 

<■  Birds  of  New  Brunswick,     Bulletin  of  the   Natural  History  Society  of  New   Brunswick.     No.   1. 
Published  by  the  Society.     Saint  John,  N.  B.,  1882.    Pp.  29-68. 
t  New  England  Bird  Life,  Part  I,  p.  58. 


m 


436 


NESTS  AND   EGGS   OF 


two  feet  from  the  ground.  The  eggs  are  described  by  Mr.  Comstock 
as  being  a  little  lighter  than  a  Robin's,  and  all  one  color.  *  The  sizes 
of  these  two  specimens  are  21  x  16  mm.,  21.5  x  16.5  mm.f 

759fl.    Turdus  aonalaschksB  auduboni    (Baird.)    [5*.] 

Audubon's  Hermit  Thrush. 

Hab.     kocky  Mountain  region  of  the  United  States,  south  to  Northern  Central  America. 

Known  as  the  Rocky  Moimtain  Hermit  Thrush  from  the  region 
which  it  inhabits.  In  some  parts  of  Colorado  it  is  very  common.  Mr. 
Frank  M.  Drew  states  that  it  is  common  and  breeds  in  San  Juan  coun- 
ty, Colorado.  Its  clear,  sweet  notes  can  be  heard  from  nearly  every 
dark  glen  or  secluded  part  of  the  woods.  A  nest  was  found  in  the  lat- 
ter part  of  June,  placed  in  a  spruce  bush,  about  three  feet  from  the 
ground.  It  contained  three  eggs.  Mr.  Chas.  F.  Morrison  records  this 
bird  as  tolerably  common  in  La  Plata  county,  Colorado.  The  nest  he 
says  iij  generally,  if  not  always,  placed  in  bushes  where  the  under- 
growth is  thick  and  heavy.  The  bird  prefers  hillsides  near  sluggish 
water,  as  old  beaver  dams  and  swamps,  nesting  in  their  vicinity,  and 
breeding  before  the  last  of  May  or  first  of  June,  and  lacer  at  a  higher 
altitude.  The  nest  is  composed  of  twigs,  straws,  rootlets,  coarse  grass 
and  moss ;  it  is  often  compact,  with  thick  walls.  The  average  diame- 
ter is  about  five  inches,  with  a  cavity  two  and  a  half  fc  y  two  deep.  The 
eggs  are  usually  four,  and  of  a  plain  greenish-blue.  A  set  of  four  in 
my  cabinet,  taken  at  Canon  City,  Colorado,  July  4,  1885,  offers  the  fol- 
lowing sizes :     .85  x  .65,  .84  x  .66,  .88  x  .66,  .86  x  .64. 

7b^l>.    Turdus  aonalaschkae  pallasii    (Cah.)    [5^] 

Hermit  Thrush. 

Hab.  Eastern  North  America,  breeding  from  the  Northern  United  States  northward,  wintering  from 
.■xbout  latitude  40"  to  the.  Gulf  coast. 

The  Hermit  Thrush  or  **  Ground  Swamp  Robin,"  breeds  from  the 
Northern  United  States  northward.  It  is  common  in  the  northern 
portions  of  New  England  in  summer,  and  in  Maine,  where  it  is  abund- 
ant, it  begins  to  breed  during  the  last  week  of  May.  It  is  common  in 
Nova  Scotia  and  in  New  Brunswick,  and  begins  to  build  about  the 
middle  of  May.  Dr.  Frank  W.  Langdon  states  on  the  authority  of 
Mr.  Chas.  Dury,  that  the  nest  and  eggs  of  the  Hermit  Thrush  have 
been  taken  near  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  May  lo,  1877.  The  bird  probably 
breeds  in  Northern  Ohio  and  other  parts  of  the  State.  It  has  been  ob- 
served nesting  in  Michigan,  a  nest  being  recorded  by  Dr.  Morris  Gibbs 
as  taken  by  W.  A.  Gunn  in  Montclam  county.  May  15,  1879. 

Nuttall  says  that  the  song  of  the  Hermit  Thrush  "  seems  to  be  un- 

"  Young  Oologist,  I,  p.  149. 
t  .63  X  .03,  .80  X  .ii5  inches. 


'*"^"?^*T!?|H 


NORTH  AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


437 


usually  lively  and  varied,  warbling  almost  like  the  Yellow  Bird,  and 
then  chanting  like  the  Robin."  Tlii«;  charming  writei,  in  speaking  of 
the  marshy  places  which  this  bird  inhabits,  beautifully  says :  "  In 
these  almost  Stygian  regions  which,  besides  being  cool,  abound  prob- 
ably with  its  favorite  insect  food,  we  are  nearly  sure  to  meet  our  sweet- 
ly vocal  hermit  flitting  through  the  settled  gloom,  which  the  brightest 
rays  of  noon  scarcely  illumine  with  more  than  twilight."  * 

The  nest,  like  that  of  Wilson's  Thrush,  is  built  on  the  ground  or 
very  near  it,  in  some  low,  secluded  spot,  generally  beneath  the  shelter 
of  dense  shrubbery.  It  is  rather  bulky,  and  loosely  made  of  leaves, 
shreds  of  bark,  grasses,  mosses,  and  lined  with  similar  but  finer  ma- 
terial. The  eggs  are  usually  four,  often  only  three,  of  greenish-blue, 
unspotted,  and  average  .86  x  .65. 

[  760.]    Turdus  iliacus    Linn.    [  6  ] 


Hab. 


Red-winged  Thrush. 

Northern  portions  of  Europe  and  Asia:  accidental  in  Circenland. 


The  Red-winged  Thrush  of  Europe  claims  a  place  in  the  avifauna 
of  North  America  from  its  accidental  occurrence  in  Greenland.  Dur- 
ing the  breeding  season  it  is  found  in  the  more  northern  portions  of 
Europe,  only  occasionally  breeding  as  far  south  as  England.  Breeds 
in  the  wooded  districts  of  Norway  and  Sweden.  It  has  been  found 
nesting  in  the  Faroe  Islands,  Iceland  and  Northern  Russia.  In  the 
winter  the  Redwing  extends  its  migrations  to  the  more  southern  portions 
of  Europe  —  Sicily,  Malta,  and  even  Smyrna.  The  nest  of  this  species 
is  usually  placed  in  the  center  of  a  thorn  bush  or  small  tree,  and  is  made 
of  moss,  roots,  and  dry  grasses  outwardly,  cemented  together  with  clay, 
and  lined  inwardly  with  finer  grass.  The  external  diameter  averages 
about  five  inches  by  three  deep ;  the  cavity  is  three  in  diameter  by 
about  two  deep.  The  eggs  range  from  four  to  six  in  number,  pale 
bluish-green  or  olive-greenish,  speckled  and  spotted  with  reddish- 
brown.     Their  average  size  is  1.04  x  .75. 

761.    Merula  migratoria    (  Linn.)    [  7  ] 

American  Robin. 

Hab.  Eastern  and  Northern  North  America  (Hudson  Bay  region  toAlasIca);  west  to  the  Great 
Plains,  of  occasional  occurrence  in  Eastern  Mexico. 

During  the  summer  months  this  familiar  bird  has  an  extensive 
range,  breeding  as  it  does  from  near  the  southern  border  of  the  United 
States  northward  to  the  Arctic  coast.  The  nest  is  saddled  on  a  hori- 
zontal branch  or  built  in  the  crotch  of  trees  of  almost  any  kind,  and  it 
is  commonly  placed  on  the  top  rail  of  a  fence,  often  on  stumps,  and,  in 

0  A  Manual  of  the  Ornithology  of  the  United  States  and  Canada.  Hy  Thomas  Nuttall,  A.M.,  F.L.S., 
&c.    Second  Edition,  with  Additions.    The  Land  Birds.     Boston:    Milliard,  Gray  &  Co.    1840.     P.  3IH. 


I      ' 


438 


NBSTS  AND  EGGS  OP 


fact,  in  all  sorts  of  curious  places,  even  in  bird  Doxes.  Orchards  and 
the  shade  trees  along  streets  are  favorite  nesting-sites.  The  nest  is  a 
large,  coarse  structure,  made  of  twigs,  roots,  stems,  grasses,  dry  leaves, 
hair  and  wool.  It  is  strengthened  by  a  neatly-made  cup  of  clay  or 
mud,  which  is  surrounded  by  these  materials.  The  typical  set  of  eggs 
is  four,  rarely  five.  They  are  greenish-blue,  unspotted.  Very  rarely, 
however,  speckled  with  brown.     Average  size,  i.i6x  .80. 

761«    Morula  migratoria  propinqna    Ridgw.    [7a.] 

'Western  Robin. 

Hab.    Western  United  States,  east  to  and  including  Rocky  Mountains,  south  into  Mexico. 

The  general  habits,  nesting  and  eggs  of  this  Western  /orm  of  the 
Robin  are  like  those  of  the  Eastern  species.  Mr.  Walter  E.  Bryant 
notes  a  pair  of  these  birds  that  built  and  reared  a  brood  in  a  hanging 
basket  suspended  from  the  edge  of  a  veranda  at  the  residence  of  Mr. 
H.  G.  Parker  at  Carson,  Nevada. 

763.    Hesperocichla  nsBvia    (Gmel.)    [9] 

Varied  Thrush. 

Hab.  Western  North  America,  chiefly  near  the  Pacific  coast,  from  California  to  Behring  Strait.  Breeds 
chiefly  north  of  the  United  States;  east  casually  to  New  Jersey,  Long  Island  and  Massachusetts. 

In  various  parts  of  Alaska  this  is  a  common  breeding  bird.  A 
few  are  known  to  breed  in  the  spruce  forests  of  Washington  Territory, 
but  their  breeding  grounds  are  chiefly  north  of  the  United  States. 
According  to  Dr.  Brewer,  Mr.  W.  H.  Dall  furnished  the  first  authentic 
knowledge  concerning  the  nest  and  eggs  of  the  Varied  Robin  as  he 
found  them  in  Alaska.  The  nest  found  by  him  was  built  in  a  willow 
bush,  about  two  feet  from  the  ground,  and  upon  the  top  of  a  large 
mass  of  rubbish  lodged  there  by  some  previous  inundation.  It  meas- 
ures six  inches  in  diameter  with  a  depth  of  two  and  one-half  inches. 
It  has  but  a  very  slight  depression,  apparently  not  more  than  half  an 
inch  in  depth.  The  original  shape  of  the  nest  had,  however,  been 
somewhat  flattened  in  transportation.  The  materials  of  which  it  was 
composed  were  fine  dry  mc  ses  and  lichens  impacted  together,  inter- 
mingled with  fragments  of  dry  stems  of  grasses.  Other  nests  of  the 
same  species  were  met  with  in  several  places  b^cween  Fort  Yukon 
and  Nulato,  always  on  or  near  a  river  bank  and  in  low  secluded 
localities. 

A  nest  of  this  thrush  obtained  by  Dr.  Minor,  in  Alaska,  is  a  much 
more  finished  structure.  Its  base  and  periphery  are  composed  of  an 
elaborate  basket-work  of  slender  twigs.  Within  these  is  an  inner 
nest  consisting  of  an  interweaving  of  fine  dry  grasses  and  long  gray 
lichens.  The  eggs  are  described  as  pale  greenish-blue,  sparingly  but 
distinctly  sprinkled  and  spotted  with  dark  umber-brown ,  size  1.13  x  .80. 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


439 


[764]    Cyanecnla  suecica    (Lynn)    [ao.] 

RedHipott«d  Bluethroat. 

Hab.    Northern  Europe  and  Asia;  casual  in  Alaska. 

This  beautiful  and  interesting  bird,  known  as  the  Blue-throated 
Redstart,  is  widely  distributed  in  the  Old  World,  breeding  in  the  more 
northern  portions  —  Norway,  Sweden,  Russia  and  Siberia.  The  nest 
is  placed  on  the  groui.d,  midst  the  larger  herbage,  in  the  cavities  of 
banks  and  under  low  brushwood,  usually  well  concealed.  It  is  com- 
posed of  dry  grass,  moss,  withered  leaves,  roots,  and  is  lined  with 
finer  mosses,  hair  and  the  down  of  cotton-grass.  The  eggs  are  four  to 
six  in  number,  generally  a  greenish-blue,  but  varying  to  grayish- 
green  or  olive  ;  they  are  spotted  with  reddish-brown,  which  is  usually 
thickest  and  deeper  at  the  larger  end.     The  average  size  is  .75  x  .53. 

765.    Saxicola  OBnanthe    (Linn.)    [21.] 

Wheatear. 

Hab.  Europe,  Northern  Africa,  Asia,  Greenland  and  Labrador,  straggling  south  to  Nova  Scoiia, 
Maine,  Long  Island  and  i^he  Bermudas. 

The  well  known  Wheatear  of  the  Old  World  is  common  in  Green- 
land and  probably  also  breeds  in  Labrador.  Dr.  C.  Hart  Merriam 
makes  note  of  its  probable  breeding  on  the  north  shore  of  the  Gulf  of 
St.  Lawrence  —  at  Godbout.  A  female  was  shot  by  Mr.  Napoleon  A. 
Comeau,  June  9,  1885,  in  which  the  eggs  were  pretty  well  developed. 
Its  mate  was  also  seen  and  it  is  presumed  that  the  birds  would,  in  all 
probability,  have  bred  in  the  vicinity.*  The  Wheatear  breeds 
throughout  the  British  Islands,  and  in  all  of  Northern  Europe  and 
Asia.  In  the  British  Islands  it  begins  to  make  its  nest  in  May.  This 
is  usually  well  hidden  in  the  innermost  recess  of  some  crevice  among 
rocks,  in  an  old  wall,  stone-quarry,  gravel-pit,  and  frequently  in  a 
deserted  rabbit  burrow.  Mr.  Hewitson  has  known  a  pair  to  make  their 
nest  in  the  deserted  hole  of  the  Sand  Martin  in  a  river  bank.  The 
nest  is  rudely  constructed  of  grass,  moss,  hair,  wool,  rabbits'  fur,  or  any 
rubbish  obtainable.  The  eggs  usually  range  from  four  to  six  in  num- 
ber and  are  of  a  pale,  plain  greenish-blue.  A  set  of  four  eggs  collected 
near  Larne,  Ireland,  May  30,  1882,  is  in  my  collection.  Their  sizes  are 
.88  X  .60,  .88  X  .59,  .94  X  .60,  .99  X  .61. 

766.    Sialia  sialis    (Linn.)    [22] 

Bluebird. 

Hab.  Eastern  United  States,  north  to  Nova  Scotia,  Ontario,  Manitoba,  etc.,  west  to  the  Rocky 
Mountains.      Resident  in  the  Kermudas. 

There  is  not  i  song  of  an  American  bird  which  so  strongly  accents 
the  return  of  spring  as  does  the  subdued  melody  of  the  Bluebird.  To 
the  naturalist  or  to  the  lover  of  rural  walks,  the  song  of  this  bird  is 

♦The  Auk,  11,305. 


440 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


suggestive  of  spring  even  in  dreary  December.  His  fearless  confidence 
in  man,  his  pleasing  manners  and  sociable  disposition,  win  our  regard 
at  once.  One  having  no  suspicion  of  his  presence  is  often  surprised  in 
the  midst  of  woods,  when  watching  some  other  species,  to  see  a  Blue- 
bird quietly  perched  upon  some  naked  bough  inquisiti^'ely  scanning 
his  proceedings. 

The  Bluebird  is  cherished  in  the  hearts  of  all  who  know  him,  and 
is  hailed  by  the  young  and  the  old  as  he  comes  to  us  on  the  first  sunny 
day  of  the  new  year  with  his  plaintive,  lisping  4iotes  which  foretell  of 
the  spring,  with  its  verdant  fields  and  balmy  air.  But  the  brightness 
of  the  day  is  often  suddenly  overcast  with  dark  clouds,  the  snow  be- 
gins to  fall,  and  far  up  in  the  fleecy  air  is  heard  his  sad  warbling  as  he 
is  winging  his  way  through  the  blinding  storm,  seeking  shelter  behind 
the  scenes  to  await  Nature,  his  timely  prompter,  to  call  him  forth 
again  in  a  more  favorable  season. 

Prose  writers  have  vied  with  each  other  in  depicting  the  gentle- 
ness of  his  manners,  and  poets  have  tuned  their  harps  of  varied  strings 
to  tell  the  secret  of  his  charms.  As  the  pioneers  cleared  the  forests 
centuries  ago,  the  sound  of  the  axe  was  oftentimes  hushed  while  they 
stood  and  marveled  at  the  music  of  his  song,  and  gazed  with  wonder 
upon  his  back  of  blue  and  breast  of  red.  In  the  early  spring,  little 
children  loitering  by  the  road-side  clap  their  hands  with  glee  as  they 
hear  the  merry  caroling  of  the  Bluebird,  and  his  notes  bring  back 
to  the  aged  and  gray,  thoughts  of  the  happiest  hours  of  their  lives, 
or  recall  the  days  when  the  shadows  of  misfortune  seemed  to  reach 
far  into  the  future.  Such  are  the  memories  which  the  Bluebird 
has  long  awakened  in  the  hearts  of  those  who  love  the  true  and  the 
beautiful,  and  who  do  not  attempt  to  hide  the  sentiments  which  nature 
has  bestowed  on  all  rational  beings. 

Throughout  the  summer  and  fall  months  the  Bluebird  delights  in 
frequenting  open  pasture  fields,  where  it  may  often  be  seen  perched 
upon  tall  weeds  or  bushes,  now  and  then  darting  out  to  catch  a  passing 
insect,  or,  quickly  descending  to  the  ground,  it  will  pick  up  a  worm 
which  has  made  its  appearance,  or  a  small  beetle  that  has  chanced  to 
come  from  its  hiding  place.  Whole  families  may  be  observed  thus  en- 
gaged. When  the  young  are  able  to  fly,  the  male  usually  takes  them 
in  charge,  while  the  female  starts  a  second  brood,  and  sometimes  a 
third  is  reared  in  a  like  manner. 

It  loves  to  sit  on  the  naked  branches  of  tall,  leafless  trees,  or  on 
the  topmost  boughs  of  orchard  trees,  in  whose  hollows  it  often  builds 
its  nest  and  rears  its  young.    On  these  heights  the  male  will  some- 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


441 


times  sit  for  hours  and  warble  his  soft,  agreeable  song,  with  open, 
quivering  wings.  Here  too,  proudly  stationed,  he  surveys  the  sur- 
rounding territory  and  awaits  any  intruder  that  may  approach,  whose 
presence  he  resents,  and  whom  he  assails  with  astonishing  vigor. 

Dr.  J.  G.  Cooper  has  aptly  said  that  the  Bluebird  always  bears  the 
National  colors,  red,  white  and  blue,  and  that  it  is  one  of  the  most 
strikingly  peculiar  of  American  singing  birds,  and  in  its  habits  a  model 
of  civilized  bird  life.  Its  natural  nesting  places  are  in  the  deserted  ex- 
cavations of  Woodpeckers,  hollows  of  trees,  and  even  in  the  crevices  of 
rocky  cliffs.  With  the  progress  of  civilization  the  Bluebird  has  taken 
advantage  of  modern  surroundings,  adopting  the  boxes  that  are  put  up 
for  its  use,  nesting  also  in  every  conceivable  nook  and  corner  in  houses 
and  barns.  Very  frequently  letter  boxes  upon  fences  are  taken  pos- 
session of.  I  found  a  Bluebird's  nest  in  the  interior  of  a  wheel  of  a 
railroad  car  during  the  strike  a  few  years  since,  and  on  another  occa- 
sion, in  Morrow  county,  Ohio,  I  discovered  a  brood  of  young  Bluebirds 
in  a  Cliff  Swallow's  nest  iinder  the  eaves  of  an  old  bartk 

The  normal  color  of  the  eggs  of  the  Bluebird  is  uniform  pale  blue, 
unspotted.  They  are  four,  five,  and  sometimes  six  in  number,  and 
their  average  size  is  . 84 x. 62.  The  eggs  of  this  bird  are  frequently 
very  light  bluish-white,  and  rarely  pure  white.  All  found  in  one  nest 
are  of  one  tint ;  that  is  to  say,  a  white  egg  is  never  found  in  a  set  with 
the  blue  ones.  Mr.  Norris  has  several  sets  which  are  as  white  as  those 
laid  by  Woodpeckers.  The  Azure  Bluebird  {Sialia  sialis  azurea  Swains) 
inhabits  Southern  Arizona  and  Eastern  Mexico. 


767. 


[23] 


Sialia  mexicana    Swains. 

IVeBteni  Bluebird. 

Hab.     Western  United  States,  from  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  the  Pacific,  south  to  Southern  Mexico. 

An  inhabitant  of  Western  United  States  north  to  British  Columbia. 
Its  habits  are  exactly  similar  to  those  of  the  Eastern  Bluebird.  It 
nests  in  holes  and  cavities  of  decayed  trees,  between  their  trunks  and 
the  loose  bark,  making  the  nest  of  sticks,  grasses,  straws,  and  almost 
any  rubbish  procurable.  Mr.  Walter  PX  Bryant  states  that  Dr.  Cooper 
informs  him  that  he  has  known  a  Bluebird  to  build  in  a  Cliff  Swal- 
low's nest.  The  eggs  of  this  species  are  four  or  five  in  number,  uni- 
form pale  blue,  of  a  slightly  deeper  shade  than  those  of  tlie  preceding 
species,  and  average  .81  x  .62. 

768.    Sialia  arctica    (Swains.)    [24.] 

Monntain  Blneblrd. 

Hab.  Rocky  Mountain  region,  north  to  Great  Slave  Lake,  south  to  Mexico,  west  to  the  higher  moun- 
tain ranges  alons  the  Pacific. 

Known  as  the  Rocky  Mountain  and  Arctic  Bluebird.     It  is  very 
30 


442 


NESTS  AND   EGGS  OP   NORTH  AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


common  in  the  Rocky  Mountain  region  and  is  also  abundant  as  far 
west  as  the  mountain  ranges  along  the  Pacific.  Breeds  in  deserted 
Woodpecker  holes,  natural  cavities  of  trees,  etc.  In  settled  portions 
of  the  West  it  nests  in  the  cornice  of  buildings,  under  the  eaves  of 
porches,  in  the  nooks  and  corners  of  barns  and  out-houses,  and  in 
boxes  provided  for  its  accommodation.  Mr.  Walter  E.  Bryant  says 
that  three  incubated  eggs  of  this  species  were  taken  from  the  nest  of 
a  Barn  Swallow,  at  Lake  Tahoe,  California,  by  Mr.  Walter  Bliss. 
Prof.  Ridgway  found  the  Rocky  Mountain  Bluebird  breeding  in  Vir- 
ginia City,  Nevada,  in  June.  Its  nests  were  built  about  old  buildings 
and  occasionally  in  the  unused  excavations  about  mines  Mr.  Wilbur 
F.  Lamb  informs  me  that  in  Summit  county,  Colorado,  he  fovmd  this 
species  nesting  generally  in  old  Woodpeckers'  excavations.  One  nest 
was  found  placed  under  the  projecting  roof-pales  of  a  miner's  cabin. 
The  nests  were  composed  almost  entirely  of  dry  grass.  In  some  sec- 
tion^, however,  the  inner  bark  of  the  cedar  enters  largely  into  their 
composition. 

In  most  cases  Mr.  Lamb  found  the  nests  to  contain  five  eggs, 
though  seven  perfectly  fresh  eggs  were  taken  from  one  nest,  while 
another  contained  only  three  in  an  advanced  stage  of  incubation.  So 
that  taking  the  reports  of  other  collectors  into  consideration  with  Mr. 
Lamb's  experience,  the  bird  lays  from  three  to  seven  eggs,  rarely  the 
latter  number,  and  more  commonly  five.  They  are  pale,  plain  green- 
ish-blue and  average  .85  x  .63. 


APPENDIX. 


Page  23. 


42.1. 


4.1. 


La.rus  barrovianus    Ridgw. 

Point  Barrow  Gnllt 


Diomedea  exulans    Linn. 

Wanderlmit  Albatrosa. 

Page  41.  This  species  has  been  added  to  the  'Hypothetical 
List '  of  the  A.  O.  U.  Check  L/ist  upon  unsatisfactory  evidence  of  its 
occurrence  in  tlie  localities  stated  in  the  habitat. 


106.1.    Oceanodroma  macrodactyla    (Bkyant.) 

Onadalnpe  Petrel. 

Hab.     Guadalupe  Islands,  Lower  California. 

See  reference  to  this  Petrel  as  observed  by  Mr.  Bryant  on  Guada- 
lupe Island,  under  head  of  Leach's  Petrel,  page  48,  and  foot-note, 
page  49. 

114 1.    Sula  gossi    Riogw. 

Blne>footed  Boobjr. 

Hab.     Islands  in  the  Gulf  of  California,  south  to  the  Gnlapagos. 

Between  the  15th  and  28th  of  March,  1888,  Col.  N.  S.  Goss  found 
this  new  species  breeding  on  the  San  Pedro  Martir  Isle,  situated  in 
the  Gulf  of  California  about  midway  between  the  shores.  It  is  a  rock 
about  one  and  a  half  miles  long,  nearly  as  broad,  and  about  1045  feet 
in  height,  a  little  north  of  latitude  28".  Colonel  Goss  states  that  the 
birds  make  no  nests  and  lay  but  one  egg;  this  they  drop  upon  the 
smooth  rock,  often  in  exposed  situations,  preferring  the  places  where  the 
guano  has  been  removed  and,  in  many  ca.ses,  close  beside  the  winding 
paths  that  were  hourly  trodden.  No  young  birds  were  found,  and 
from  the  condition  of  the  many  eggs  examined,  he  was  of  the 
opinion  that  the  birds  do  not  commence  laying  before  the  first  of 
March.  The  average  measurement  of  twenty-one  eggs  is  given  as 
2.42x1.60.  The  ground  color  is  greenish -blue,  coated  with  a  dull 
white  chalky  substance,  but  generally  more  or  less  stained  with  guano 
that  generally  gives  them  a  dirty  buff  white  look ;  in  form  elliptical 
ovate*.  A  specimen  of  the  egg  of  this  species  iu  the  collection  of 
Capt.  B.  F.  Goss  measures  2.34  x  1.60. 


*The  Auk,  V,  p.  242. 


443 


444  NKSTS  AND  EGGS  OK 

115.1    Sula  brewsteri    Goss 

Brewster's  Boobj. 

Hkb.     Iilands  of  the  Knstern  South  Pacific  Ocran,  northwnrd  to  I.nwer  California. 

This  is  another  new  species  of  Booby  which  was  fonncl  breeding 
by  Colonel  Goss  on  San  Pedro  Martir  Isle  in  the  Gul  tf  California. 
The  birds  were  not  wild,  but  their  nesting  places,  as  a  whole,  were 
not  in  as  exposed  situations  as  those  of  the  Blue-footed  ;  they  seemed 
to  prefer  the  shelves  and  niches  on  the  sides  of  the  rocks.  They  lay 
two  eggs,  and  in  all  cases  collect  a  few  sticks,  sea-weed,  and  often  old 
wing  and  tail  feathers ;  these  are  generally  placed  in  a  circle  to  fit  the 
body,  with  a  view,  it  was  thought,  to  keep  the  eggs  that  lie  upon 
the  rock  from  rolling  out.  There  is  but  little  material  on  or  about  the 
isle  out  of  which  a  nest  can  be  made.  Colonel  Goss  says  the  birds 
must  commence  laying  as  early  as  the  loth  of  February,  as  young  were 
found  in  many  cases  from  half  to  two-thirds  grown.  The  average 
measurement  of  seventeen  eggs  is  given  as  2. 44  x  1.60.  In  color  and 
form,  as  well  as  si^ie,  they  are  similar  to  die  eggs  of  the  Blue- 
footed,  in  fact  so  nearly  alike  that  when  plu<_^d  together  they  cannot 
be  separated  with  certainty.  A  set  of  two  is  in  Captain  Goss'  cabinet. 
These  measure  2.40  x  1.70,  2.30  x  1.62  respectively. 

159.    Somateria  mollisalma  borealis    (A.  £.  Bkkhm.) 

Northern  Eider. 

Page  74. 

169.1    Chen  csBrulescens    (Linn.)    [590.] 

Blue  Goose. 

This  species  has  been  restored  from  the  *  Hypothetical  List '  of  the 

A.  O.  U.  Check  List  —  see  text  of  Lesser  Snow  Goose,  page  78. 
182.    PhOBnicopterus  ruber    Linn    [585.] 

Amerioan  Flamingo. 

Mr.  D.  P.  Ingraham,  who  has  collected  a  large  number  of  these 
handsome  birds  in  the  West  Indies  and  spent  more  or  less  of  his 
time  for  four  seasons  among  them,  has  given  me  the  following  inter- 
esting notes  concerning  their  nesting : 

He  states  that  the  birds  inhabit  the  shallow  lagoons  and  bays 
having  soft  clayey  bottoms.  On  the  border  of  these  the  nest  is  made 
by  working  the  clay  up  into  a  mound  which,  in  the  first  season  is  per- 
haps not  more  than  a  foot  high  and  about  eight  inches  in  diameter  at 
the  top  and  fifteen  inches  at  the  base.  If  the  birds  are  unmolested 
they  will  return  to  the  same  nesting  place  from  year  to  year,  each  sea- 
son augmenting  the  nest  by  the  addition  of  mud  on  the  top,  leaving  a 
slight  depression  for  the  eggs      Mr.  Ingraham  speaks  of  visiting  the 


NORTH   AMKRICAN   BIRDS. 


446 


breeding  grounds  where  the  birds  had  nested  the  previous  vear  and 
their  mound-like  nests  were  still  standing.  The  birds  nest  in  June. 
The  number  of  eggs  to  a  clutch  is  ustially  two,  sometimes  only  one 
and  very  rarely  three.  When  three  are  found  in  a  nest  it  is  generally 
believed  that  the  third  has  been  laid  by  another  female.  According  to 
Mr.  Ingraham's  ob.servations  the  nests  in  our  illustration  must  be  con- 
sidered conventional,  the  attitude  of  the  bird  on  the  nest  being  correct, 
and  as  stated  on  page  86, 

[  288  ]    Jacana  gymnostoma    (  Waoi..) 
Page  136.     This  now  becomes  /acana  spinosa  (Linn). 

[358.1.]    Falco  regulus    Pali,. 

Merlin. 

Hal).     Europe,  etc.,  accidental  in  Ureenland. 

Mr.  Ludvig  Kumlien,  of  the  Public  Museum,  Milwaukee,  Wiscon- 
sin, received  from  Dr.  C.  F.  Wicpkeu.of  Oldenburg,  Germany,  a  fine 
specimen  of  this  bird,  which  was  .shot  at  Cape  b'arewell,  Greenland, 
May  3,  1875,  making  an  additional  species  to  the  avifauna  of  North 
America.  It  is  a  common  bird  in  Europe,  especially  in  the  more  north- 
ern portions.  In  England  it  is  considered  migratory,  while  in  Scotland 
it  resides  permanently.  It  breeds  commonly  in  the  Orkney  and  Shet- 
land Islands,  placing  its  nest  among  precipitous  rocks.  It  was  for- 
merly trained  to  the  chase,  and  used  to  hawk  for  quails,  snipes  and 
larks.  The  rugged  mountain  ranges  on  the  Scottish  border  furnish 
many  breeding  places  for  the  Merlin.  The  site  generally  selected  is 
the  side  of  some  ravine,  a  projecting  rock,  bank,  or  tuft  of  heath. 
The  nest  consists  of  a  scanty  supply  of  sticks,  heather,  grass  or  moss, 
loosely  arranged.  The  eggs  are  three,  four  or  five  in  number ;  Bewick 
says  six ;  Temminck,  five  or  six.  They  are  bluish-white,  spotted  and 
blotched,  generally  more  thickly  at  the  larger  end,  with  deep  red- 
dish-brown.    Average  size,  1.49x1.20. 

[359.1  ]    Falco  tinnunculus    Linn.    [422] 

Reatrel. 

Hab.    Europe,  etc.,  accidental  in  Massachusetts. 

Mr.  Charles  B.  Cory,  of  Boston,  Massachu.setts,  makes  record  of  the 
first  occurrence  of  this  bird  in  North  America.  A  female  specimen  was 
shot  by  a  hunter  at  Strawberry  Hill,  Nantasket  Beach,  Massachusetts,  on 
September  29, 1887,  the  skin  of  which  is  now  in  Mr.  Cory's  cabinet.*  The 
European  Kestrel  thus  finds  a  place  in  the  avifauna  of  North  America. 
It  is  a  common  species  in  Europe,  and  one  of  the  most  abundant  of  its 
tribe  in  Great  Britain.     It  resembles  the  American  Sparrow  Hawk  in 

♦Auk,  V.    no  and  205. 


446 


NKSTS   AND   KGGS  OF 


size  and  general  appearance,  and,  like  that  bird,  it  has  the  curious 
habit  of  poising  in  midair  over  a  mouse,  lizard,  frog,  or  some  other 
object  of  food  before  attacking  them.  In  Great  Britain  it  is  one  of 
the  commonest  Falcons,  and  may  be  found  in  all  parts  of  the  country. 
The  nest  is  built  in  rocky  cliffs  by  the  sea  coast,  in  natural  cavities 
of  trees,  in  ancient  ruins,  in  towers  of  churches,  both  in  the  country 
and  cities,  even  in  London.  The  material  used  consists  of  sticks, 
twigs,  hay,  wool  and  feathers,  all  arranged  in  a  slovenly  manner. 
When  the  nest  is  placed  in  rocks,  it  is  said  that  no  material  is  used. 
The  eggs,  which  are  rounded-oval  in  form,  are  four  or  five  in  num- 
ber, sometimes  six.  They  vary  from  a  reddish  to  yellowish,  speckled, 
spotted  or  blotched  with  orange-brown  and  reddish-brown.  A  great 
variation  exists  in  the  style  and  amount  of  markings  in  a  large  series  of 
eggs.  Four  eggs  collected  in  Staffordshire,  England,  May  12,  1884, 
measure  1.42x1.20,  1.48x1.24,  1.50x1.30,1.53x1.24.  A  set  of  five 
eggs  taken  from  an  old  church  spire  in  County  Antrum,  Ireland,  May 
25,  1883,  gives  the  following  measurements:  1.58x1.30,  1.56x1.26, 
1.54x1.28,1.56x1.26,  1.54x1.24. 

370.    Ulula  cinerea    (Gmel.) 
Page  194.     This  becomes  Scotiaptez  cinerea     (Gmel.) 

372.    Nyctala  acadica    (Gmel.)    [401.] 

Savr-nrhet  Ovrl. 

The  Acadian  Owl  is  said  to  be  not  an  uncommon  resident  in 
Northern  Ohio,  a  resident  or  winter  visitor  in  the  southern  portions 
of  the  State.  Up  to  the  pre-sent  time,  however,  there  seems  to  have 
been  no  positive  knowledge  regarding  its  breeding  within  this  area, 
and,  judging  from  the  following  records,  the  bird  cannot  be  considered 
a  common  species  in  the  State.  Dr.  Brewer's  statement,  '*  it  has  been 
said  to  breed  near  Cleveland,  Ohio,  and  its  nest  and  eggs  have  been  se- 
cured," is  very  unsatisfactory.  The  bird's  small  size,  its  nocturnal  and 
secluded  habits,  no  doubt  have  much  to  do  with  its  apparent  scarcity. 
Audubon  mentions  one  which  he  secured  at  Cincinnati.  Dr.  L/angdon 
met  two  boys  on  the  streets  of  Cincinnati,  October  27,  1886,  with  a 
specimen  which  they  had  captured  in  tLe  heart  of  the  city.  Mr. 
Charles  Dury  records  only  five  specimens  taken  within  fifteen  years, 
one  each  in  the  following  localities :  Avondale,  Cincinnati,  Cherry 
Grove,  Butler  County,  and  St.  Mary's  Reservoir.  Mr.  H.  E.  Chubb 
shot  a  specimen  near  Cleveland  on  July  11,  1883,  and  on  June  21  of 
the  present  year  (1889)  another  specimen  was  brought  him.  Both  were 
young  birds  of  the  year,  proving  beyond  doubt  that  the  bird  breeds 


NORTH  AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


447 


in  Northern  Ohio.  Mr.  Chubb  states  that  the  species  is  not  un- 
common in  the  colder  months  of  the  year.  The  late  Dr.  Wheaton,  in 
his  **  Report  on  the  Birds  of  Ohio,"  records  the  capture  of  three  speci- 
mens in  Franklin  County.  The  first  specimen  of  this  Owl  which 
came  into  my  hands  was  shot  by  Mr.  F.  N.  Wilcox,  in  November,  1883. 
On  May  28,  1889,  my  friend,  J.  E.  Gould,  shot  two  young  birds  of 
this  species  in  a  woods  near  Worthington,  Ohio, —  about  five  miles 
north  of  Columbus.  These  had  just  left  the  nest.  About  a  mile  and 
a  half  distant,  in  an  entirely  diflferent  strip  of  woods,  another  speci- 
men was  observed  the  same  day.  On  June  2,  returning  to  the  place 
where  he  had  taken  the  two  young,  three  more  were  observed,  sitting 
in  the  branches  of  the  same  sapling  from  which  the  two  were  shot 
on  May  28.  One  of  these  was  secured  with  a  stick,  the  other  two 
were  allowed  to  remain.  These  were  doubtless  a  brood  of  five,  and 
the  one  observed  in  another  woods  making  six  in  all.  There  is  little 
doubt  that  the  three  young  observed  on  June  2  were  not  strong 
enough  to  leave  the  nest  when  Mr.  Gould  visited  the  place  on  May  28. 
A  dead  mouse  was  observed  hanging  in  a  crotch  of  the  sapling  where 
the  Owls  were  perched,  which  was  doubtless  placed  there  by  one  of 
the  parent  birds.  Two  of  these  specimens,  kindly  presented  to  me  by 
Mr.  Gould,  are  in  my  collection  ;  the  third  is  in  his  possession.  That 
the  Acadian  Owl  breeds  in  Central  Ohio  there  is  now  no  longer  any 
doubt,  and  the  securing  of  its  eggs  is  only  a  question  of  time. 

379rt!.    Glaucidium  gnoma  californicum    (Scl.)  [iQ9,pafi.] 

California  Pygmy  Owl. 

Description  under  Pygmy  Owl,  Glmuidium  gnoma  Wagl.  page  202. 


Ir. 
i-s, 
ry 
)b 
of 


380.    Glaucidium  phalsBDoides  (Daud.)  [410]      /       , 

Fermginona  Pysmy  Oirl. 

Hab.  Tropical  America  (except  West  Indies)  north  to  Southern  border  of  United  States  (Texas  to 
Arizona.) 

Mr.  Geo.  B.  Sennett  gives  the  first  description  of  the  egg  of  this 
species,  which  is  as  follows:  "On  May  2,  1888,  my  collector  took  an 
adult  female  and  one  egg  of  this  Owl  at  Canon  del  Caballeros,  near 
Victoria,  Tamaulipas,  Mexico.  The  locality  is  high  and  at  the  base  of 
the  more  precipitous  mountains.  The  nest  was  in  a  hollow  tree  and 
contained  but  a  single  fresh  egg.  The  egg  is  white,  shaped  like  that 
of  a  Megascops,  measuring  1.05  x  .90  inches,  and  is  in  my  collection 
with  the  parent  bird.  It  will  be  observed  that  in  size  it  is  very  close 
to  the  egg  of  M.  whitneyiy  * 

'Auk,  VI,  70,         '  .  . 


448  NKSTS  AND  EGGS  OF 

381.    Micrathene  whitneyi  (Cooper.) 
Page  203.     This  becomes  Micropallas  whitneyi  ( Cooper.) 

387«.    Coccyzus  americanus  occidentalis  Ridgw  [387,  part.\ 

California  Cnokoo. 

Page  207. 

396.    Dryobates  scalaris  (Wagl.) 
Page  212.     This  becomes  Dryobates  scalaris  bairdi  ( Scl.) 

419     Nyctidromus  albicollis  (Gm.) 

ParanquAt 

Page  227.     This  becomes  Nyctidromus  albicollis  merrtlli  (Senn.) 

Merrill'd  Paranque. 

Mr.  Seiinett  says  that  when  compared  with  others  of  the  species 
from  Southern  Costa  Rica,  Panama,  Guiana,  and  Brazil  this  form  can 
be  distinguished,  first  by  the  prevailing  gray  color  on  upper  parts, 
where  the  others  have  brown  or  rufous-cinnamon  ;  second,  by  its  large 
size,  etc,  etc,  (see  Auk  Vol.  V,  pages  44-45.)  It  is  named  in  honor  of 
Dr.  J.  C.  Merrill  U.  S.  A.,  who  discovered  the  bird  in  the  United  States 
on  April  i,  1876. 

486«.    Corvus  corax  principalis  Ridgw  [280, /<//•/] 

Northern  Raveua 

Page  265. 

534a.    Plectrophenax  nivalis  townsendi  Ridgw  [186,  part.\ 

Prybilof  Snowaako. 

Page  295.  '  ,;     >> 

553.    Zonotrichia  querula  (Nurx.) 

Harris's  Sparrow.  . 

Capt.  Bendire  gives  the  following  interesting  account  concerning 
the  supposed  nest  and  eggs  of  this  species : 

"For  the  purpose  of  drawing  the  attention  of  ornithologists  located 
along  the  northern  border  of  Montana  and  Dakota,  and  throughout 
southern  British  North  America,  to  the  fact  that  the  nest  of  eggs  of 
tbis  interesting  species  remain  still  unknown,  and  to  the  probability  of 
its  breeding  in  these  regions,  instead  of  further  north,  I  will  state  that 
none  of  the  large  collections  of  birds^  nest  and  eggs  made  by  the  fol- 
lowing gentlemen  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  Robert  McFarlane, 
Strachan  Jones,  T.  McDougall,  Donald  Gunn,  C.  P.  Gaudet,  and  J. 
Lockhart,  and  which  were  donated  to  the  Smithsonian  Institution  at 
Washington,  D.  C,  contained  specimens  of  this  species,  although  rep- 


NORTH  AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


449 


4 


resenting  nearly  every  other  bird  to  be  found  breeding  throughout  the 
vast  interior  of  the  former  Hudson's  Bay  Territory.  The  explorations 
made  by  these  gentlemen  were  thorough  and  continued  through  .several 
seasons,  and,  chiefly  through  the  good  efforts  of  Mr.  Robert  Kennicott, 
all  their  valuable  field  notes  and  an  immense  amount  of  material  were 
brought  together. 

"  From  the  fact  that  no  specimens  of  Zonotrichia  querula  were  ob- 
tained throughout  the  explorations,  which  extended  well  into  the  Arctic 
Circle,  and  began  about  the  54th  parallel,  I  necessarily  believed  that 
the  summer  home  of  Harris's  sparrow,  if  properly  looked  for,  will  be 
found  along  the  foothills  of  the  Bearpaw  and  Chief  Mountains  in  Mon- 
tana, along  the  Turtle  Mountains  in  Dakota,  and  their  centre  of  abun- 
dance probably  near  Duck  Mountain,  Manitoba,  as  well  as  in  suitable 
localities  in  the  territories  of  Alberta  and  Assiniboia,  south  of  L,at.  54°. 

"  During  the  summer  of  1885,  while  I  was  stationed  at  Fort  Cus- 
ter, Montana,  one  of  niy  men,  who  was  well  posted  about  the  birds  of 
that  region,  and  helped  me  to  collect  a  good  many,  while  out  hunting 
one  day  found  a  nest  and  four  eggs  of  some  Sparrow,  without,  unfor- 
tunately, securing  the  parent,  and  brought  them  in  for  me.  I  saw  at  a 
glance  that  these  eggs  were  new  to  me,  and  visited  the  place  where  the 
nest  was  found  next  day,  in  the  hope  of  possibly  still  finding  the  own- 
ers about  the  locality,  but  failed  in  this.  The  eggs  in  question  differ 
materially  in  coloration  from  those  of  the  other  species  of  Zonotrichia^ 
as  well  as  from  those  of  the  genera  Passerella^  Melospiza^  and  Pipilo, 
all  of  which  are  represented  by  good  series  in  the  National  Museum 
collection. 

"The  nest  was  found  June  24,  1885,  in  a  dense  willow  thicket 
close  to  the  banks  of  Little  Horn  River,  about  one  and  a  half  miles 
above  the  post.  It  was  placed  between  several  young  willow  twigs, 
about  eight  or  ten  inches  from  the  ground,  compactly  bnilt  of  strips  ol 
decayed  willow  bark,  coarse  grasses,  etc.,  and  lined  with  finer  materials 
of  the  same  kind.  Outwardly  the  nest  was  about  four  and  a  half 
inches  wide  by  three  deep ;  the  inner  cavity  was  two  and  a  half  inches 
wide  by  two  in  depth.  In  its  general  make-up  it  resembled  the  aver- 
age nest  of  a  Passerella.  The  eggs  contained  small  embryos.  They  re- 
semble certain  types  of  Cardinal's  eggs  {Cardinalis  cardinalis)  more 
than  anything  else,  but  are  consideraly  smaller.  There  is  no  trace 
of  green  whatever  noticeable  in  their  ground  color.  This  green  tint 
is  always  found  to  a  greater  or  less  extent  in  all  the  eggs  of  the  genera 
Zonotrichia  and  Passerella^  and  with  rare  exceptions  in  Melospiza  as 
well,  while  here,  it  is  a  creamy  or  buffy  white,  and  the  shell  is  also 


\\ 


450 


NESTS  AND  EGOS  OK 


more  lustrous.  The  eggs  are  thickly  spotted  and  blotched  with  dark 
brown  and  burnt  umber,  and  more  or  less  mixed  with  pale  heliotrope 
purple  and  purplish  gray.  They  are  ovate  in  shape,  and  measure  .89 
X  .70,  .88  X  .69,  .86  X  .69  auu  .85  x.65  inch. 

*'  I  am  certain  that  these  eggs  are  not  those  of  the  Cardinal,  which 
is  "'^t  found  as  far  north  as  Fort  Custer  and  would  jurely  have  been 
noticed  by  me,  if  it  occurred  there,  and  unless  they  should  be  abnor- 
mally colored  eggs  of  Pipilo  maadatus  arcticus^  which  is  barely  possible, 
although  also  rather  small  for  this  species,  they  will  certainly  prove  to 
be  those  of  Harris's  Sparrow.  Wliile  I  do  not  believe  that  it  is  a  con- 
stant and  common  summer  resident  in  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Custer,  it 
probably  breeds  there  as  a  straggler ;  I  failed  to  meet  with  this  spec- 
ies during  the  summer,  but  found  it  not  at  all  uncommon  during  its 
fall  migration.  Specimens  shof  by  me  in  the  early  part  of  October 
are  now  in  the  National  Museum  collection.  I  found  them  associated 
with  White-crowned  Sparrows  and  Arctic  Towhees  principally,  scat- 
tered in  small  flocks  through  the  undergrowth  along  the  Big  and  Lit- 
tle Horn  River  bottoms,  and  it  seems  to  confine  itself  to  the  shrub- 
bery found  along  the  streams.  Specimens  were  shot  by  me  as  late  as 
October  21,  1885."* 

On  the  28th  of  April,  1889,  Mr.  J.  E.  Gould  shot  a  specimen  of 
Harris's  Sparrow  two  miles  north  of  Columbus,  Ohio.  Four  or  five 
others  were  observed  feeding  in  a  thicket  in  company  with  the  White- 
throated  Sparrow,  Z.  albicollis.  Mr.  Gould  generously  presented  me 
with  the  specimen  of  Z.  querula^  the  skin  of  which  is  now  in  my  col- 
lection. The  identification  of  this  specimen,  previously  considered  by 
the  writer  to  be  Z.  qiicrula  was,  through  the  kind  assistance  of  Mr. 
Chas.  F.  Batchelder  positively  determined.  This,  I  believe  is  the  first 
record  of  its  occurrence  in  Ohio.  The  bird  in  this  case  has  wandered 
a  long  way  out  of  its  ordinary  habitat  (see  page  304). 


• 


\ 


Page  309. 


Page  310. 


563^7.    Splzella  pusllla  arenacea  Chadb, 

Western  Field  Sparrcw. 

567.1    Junco  carolenensls  Brewst.    [217, /«r/.] 

Carolina  Jnnoo. 


597a.    Guiraca  cserulea  eurhyncha  Coues  [246, /ar/.] 

Western  Bine  Orosbeaki 

Page  332,  foot-note. 


»Auk,  VI,  150-152. 


NORTH    AMERICAN   BIRDS.  461 

622/^     Lanius  Indovicianus  gambeli  Ridgw  [149a,  part.] 

California  Shrike. 

l^age  344. 

629<:.    Vireo  solitarius  alticola  Rrkwst  [141,  part.] 

Moniktain  Solitary  Vireo. 

Page  349. 

684.    Sylvania  mitrata  (Gmel.)    [124] 

Hooded  Warbler. 

Since  my  statement  concerning  the  nesting  of  ilie  Hooded  War- 
bler in  Ohio  was  printed  (page  385),  Mr.  Gonld  found  it  breeding  near 
Sugar  Grove,  May  29,  1889.  A  nest  was  found  containing  four  young. 
Many  of  the  birds  were  observed,  and  some  secured.  Owing  to  heavy 
rains  and  lack  of  time,  further  observation  was  abandoned. 

IVlb.    Catherpes  mexicanus  punctulatus  Ridgw  [59, /«/-/] 

Dotted  Canon  Wren. 

Page  403,  foot-note. 


721*^.    Troglodytes  aedon  aztecus  Baird  [67,0,  part. [ 

Weateru  Honse  W^ren. 

Page  407  —  see  text  of  Parkman's  Wren. 

725«.     Cistothorus  palustrls  paludicola  Baird  [67a,  part.] 

Tnle  W^ren. 

Page  409. 

726^.    Certhia  familiaris  montana  Ridgw  [55,  part.] 

Rooky  Mountain  Creeper. 

Page  410. 

726^.    Certhia  familiaris  occidentalls  Ridgw  [55,  part.], 

Californian  Creeper. 

Page  411. 


Page  418. 


736a.    Parus  carolinensis  agllis  Senn. 

Plnmbeons  Chickadee. 


BRIEF  DIRECTIONS 


FOR 


COLLECTING  AND  PRESERVING 


BIRDS'    NESTS    AND    EGGS. 


If  you  are  desirous  of  making  a  collection  of  eggs  of  the  birds  of 
any  locality,  the  following  directions  may  aid  you : 

Remember  that  an  egg  has  no  financial  or  scientific  value  if  it  has 
no  name.  Therefore,  be  very  particular  to  identify  all  eggs  collected. 
If  you  do  not,  you  will  have  in  many  respects  a  worthless  collection. 
If  the  eggs  in  a  nest  are  strange  or  unknown  to  you,  do  not  touch 
them  until  you  have  procured  the  parent  bird.  If  you  cannot  skin  the 
bird,  preserve  its  head,  wings,  and  feet  until  you  can  have  them  iden- 
tified. The  student  of  Oology  should  by  all  means  learn  to  skin  birds 
and  put  them  in  proper  shape.  He  will  then  make  few  mistakes  in 
his  data. 

Empty  the  contents  of  an  egg  through  one  smoothly  drilled  hole 
in  the  side,  and  drill  it  as  small  as  can  be  got  along  with.  Force  the 
contents  out  by  blowing  into  the  hole  with  a  blow-pipe.  Do  not  make 
holes  at  the  ends  of  an  egg  for  the  purpose  of  blowing  the  contents 
out.  Do  not  hold  it  too  tightly  in  your  fingers,  for,  if  it  breaks,  you 
will  leain  at  once  that  a  thing  of  beauty  is  not  always  a  joy  forever. 
If  the  embryo  is  partially  developed,  the  hole  must  necessarily  be 
made  larger,  and  the  embryo  should  be  extracted  a  little  at  a  time  with 
an  embryo  hook  or  forceps,  and  cut  in  pieces  with  a  fine,  narrow-bladed 
scissors.  By  soaking  the  egg  in  water  over  night  the  embryo  will  often 
become  very  tender  and  can  be  taken  out  with  ease. 

After  the  egg  is  blown  it  should  be  thoroughly  rinsed  by  taking 
water  into  the  mouth  and  spirting  it  through  the  blow-pipe. 

Eggs,  as  a  rule,  should  be  kept  in  sets;  a  "  set "  being  those  taken 
from  any  one  nest ;  and  each  one  of  a  set  should  bear  a  number  refer- 
ring to  a  corresponding  one  in  a  note-book  where  full  particulars  of 

453 


454 


NESTS  AND   EGGS  OF 


the  nest  and  eggs  should  be  given.     A  printed  label  or  data  blank  sim- 
ilar to  the  following  diagram  is  also  necessary : 


No Name. 

Collected  by 

Locality 


Date 

Set Identity. 

Nest 


Incubation 


For  illustration,  the  blank  lines  of  the  label  should  be  filled  in  the 
following  manner:  No.  126.  Name,  Arkansas  Flycatcher.  Collected 
by  J.  L.  Clemmons.  Locality,  San  Diego,  California.  Dated,  June  2, 
1881.  Set,  ]{.  (indicating  that  the  number  of  eggs  in  this  set  is  four). 
Identity,  bird  shot.  Incubation,  begun.  Nest,  made  of  coarse  sticks 
and  twigs,  lined  with  hair  and  cotton,  placed  in  aa  "  Australian  Gum 
Tree,"  twenty  feet  from  the  ground.  All  these  data  should  be  care- 
fully written,  and  the  label  placed  in  the  cabinet  with  the  eggs.  If 
there  are  several  sets  of  the  same  species,  the  collector  should  have  his 
own  number  to  distinguish  the  sets.  The  label  with  full  data  should 
always  accompany  the  set  in  making  exchanges.  Besides  the  above 
particulars  the  note-book  should  be  filled  with  memoranda  devoted  to 
the  records  of  nests  found  and  examined ;  the  general  nature  of  the 
surroundings  ;  the  precise  color  and  condition  of  the  eggs  when  found, 
as  all  these  fade  quickly  from  the  memory. 

Nests  that  can  be  collected  require  a  wrapping  of  thread  for  their 
safe  keeping. 

In  climbing  high  trees,  climbers  are  often  usen.  A  wooden  or  tin 
box,  filled  with  cotton,  should  be  taken  up  with  you ;  in  this,  securely 
place  the  eggs  before  descending  the  tree. 

When  eggs  are  to  be  shipped  by  mail  or  express  they  should  never 
be  padked  in  anything  but  wooden  or  tin  boxes.  Each  egg  should  be 
wrapped  in  cotton  and  bound  tightly  with  thread  and  then  wrapped 
in  tissue  paper.  Place  them  in  layers  in  the  box  with  bits  of  cotton 
between  each  egg.  The  bottom,  sides  and  end  of  the  box  are  often 
lined  with  sheet  cotton  which  is  still  better  protection. 

In  all  ordinary  cases  collections  of  eggs  are  preserved  in  the 
drawers  of  a  cabinet.  These  are  divided  by  partitions,  and  each  sec- 
tion partly  filled  with  grated  cork  or  box-wood  sawdust,  in  which  the 


NORTH   AMERICAN   BIRDS. 


456 


eggs  are  placed.     The  choice  of  a  cabinet  must  depend  largely  upon 
the  collector's  means,  if  not  also  upon  his  individual  preference. 

I  cannot  dismiss  this  subject  without  a  word  on 

PROTECTING  OUR    BIRDS. 

The  above  directions  for  collecting  and  preserving  nests  and  eggs, 
and  the  whole  contents  of  this  work  are  intended  to  assist  the  true 
naturalist  in  the  delightful  subject  herein  treated.  For  those  who  idly 
roam  the  woodlands  and  pebbly  shores,  collecting  everything  in  reach 
with  aimless  intent,  this  book  was  never  calculated. 

To  every  person  who  loves  to  study  in  the  great  field  of  Nature ; 
to  those  especially  who  are  deeply  interested  in  the  habits  of  the  feath- 
ered tribe,  the  protection  of  bird  life  is  of  the  utmost  importance. 

Surely  none  of  the  readers  of  the  foregoing  pages  are  engaged  in 
the  wholesale  collecting  of  eggs  for  purely  mercenary  purposes,  sacri- 
ficing and  depopulating  our  birds,  and  screening  their  fiendish  acts 
under  the  gauzy  lace  of  science. 

No  thoughtful  and  honorable  natural  history  dealer  will  uphold 
you  in  the  utter  destruction  of  whole  rookeries  and  communities  of 
birds,  and  there  is  no  need  for  it  in  making  a  study  of  their  habits,  and 
adding  a  few  specimens  to  a  private  cabinet.  The  true  lover  of  the 
study  of  Oology  will  do  everything  in  his  power  to  promote  the  inter- 
ests of  the  birds,  so  that  their  varied  domestic  affairs  will  annually  add 
valuable  notes  to  his  ever-open  note-book. 


^  'i 


I  " 


INDEX. 


NoTK.— Resides  tlia  common  iinme  as  given  in  the  chief  title  of  each  species,  all  the  common  name* 
mentioned  in  the  text  will  be  found  in  this  index;  as  for  example,  in  the  text  under  Ulack  Skimmer  (page  W), 
the  names  Kazor-bill,  Cut-water,  Shear-water,  Sea  Crow  and  Sen  Dog  occur. 


Pack 

Abert'i  Towhee JfiW 

Acadian  Klycatcner !MK 

Owl (Appendix)  11)5 

Albatross,  Black-footed 41 

Short-tailed 41 

Sooty 43 

Wandering 41 

Yellow-nosed 43 

Aleutian  Leucosticte 21)0 

Rosy  Finch 290 

Sandpiper 112 

Song  Sparrow i)20 

Tern 37 

American  Avocet 107 

Barn  Owl 101 

Bittern 90 

Coot 105 

Crosbill 289 

Crow 287 

Dipper 302 

Dunlin 116 

Egret 92 

Eider 74 

Flamingo 85 

Golden-ey« 70 

Golden  Plover 130 

Goldfinch 201 

Goshawk 171 

Green  Sandpiper 121 

Hawk  Owl 200 

Herring  Gull 27 

Lanner 180 

Long-eared  Owl 192 

Magpie 257 

Merganser 00 

Osprcy 190 

Oyster-catcher 136 

Pine  Grosbeak 2So 

Pipit 390 

Red  Cross-bill 289 

Redstart 387 

Robin 437 

Rough  legged  Hawk 180 

Scaup  Duck 69 

Scoter 75 

Siskin 293 

Snipe 110 

Sparrow  Hawk 188 

Sparrow  Owl 195 

Stork 80 

Three-toed  Woodpecker.  215 

Titlark 300 

Water  Ouiel 392 

Whimbrel 126 

White-fronted  Goose 70 


Pack 

American  White  Pelican 5K 

Whistling  Swan 84 

Wigeon 0.1 

Woodcock 109 

Wood  Stork 80 

Anhingo 52 

Ancient  Murrelet 12 

Ani 204 

Ani,  Grooved-billed 201 

Anna's  Humming-bird 2t}3 

Anthracite  Buzzard  . .  , 179 

Aplamado  Falcon 188 

Arctic  HornedO/l 100 

Tern 8« 

Three-toed  Woodpecker.  214 

Towhee 325 

Arkansas  Goldfinch.. 292 

Kingbird 239 

Arkansaw  Green-backed  Gold- 
finch   292 

Arizona  Cardinal 330 

Crested  Flycatcher 241 

Goldfinch 292 

Hooded  Oriole 279 

J  unco 312 

Jay 2(12 

Quail 140 

Woodpecker 213 

Ash-colored  Sandpiper 112 

Ash-throated  Flycatcher 2-11 

Ashy  Petrel 49 

Audubon's  Caracara 189 

Dusky  Shearwater 40 

Hermit  Thrush 430 

Oriole 277 

Shearwater  40 

Warbler 368 

Auk,  Great 17 

Horn-billed 11 

Razor-billed 17 

Snub-nosed 12 

Anklet,  Cassia's 11 

Crested 12 

Least 12 

Parroquet 11 

Rhinoceros 10 

Avocet,  American 107 

Bachman's  Oyster-catcher 130 

Finch 314 

Sparrow 314 

Warbler 369 

Bahaman  Honey  Creeper 355 

Baird's  Cormorant   67 

Sandpiper 114 

Sparrow 300 


PAr.B 

BairdiS  Wran 406 

Bald  Eagle 188 

Bald-pate 68 

Haltiniore  Oriole 280 

Band-tailed  Pigeon 154 

Bank  Swallow 841 

Barn  Owl 101 

Swallow 839 

Barnacle  Goose..,,   82 

Barred  Owl 103 

Barrow's  Golden-eye 71 

Bnrlramian  Sandpiper 124 

Bay-breasted  Warbler !J71 

Bay-winged  Bunting 2U7 

Beach  Bird 117 

Bee-bird 287 

Bee-martin 237 

Bcetlehcad 129 

Belding's  Marsh  Sparrow 800 

Bell's  Sparrow 313 

Virec 363 

Belted  Kingfisher 208 

Pipping  Plover 132 

Bendire's  Thrasher 398 

Bewick's  Wien 405 

Bicknell's  Thrush 434 

Big  Black-head 09 

Bicolored  Blackbird 274 

Bittern,  American 90 

Least 90 

Black  Brant 82 

Duck 62 

Grouse 142 

Guillemot 13 

Gyrfalcon 185 

Hawk 180,  187 

Headed  Turnstone 135 

Mallard 62 

Oyster-catchej 136 

Phoebe 244 

Rail 1(12 

Skimmer 40 

Snow-bird 809 

Surf  Duck 76 

Swift 220 

Tern 39 

Turnstone 185 

Witch 201 

Black  and  White  Wiirbler 356 

Black  and  Yellow  Oriole 277 

Black-backed  three-toed  Wood- 
pecker   214 

Black-bellied  Plover 129 

Sandpiper 115 

Tree  Duck m 


v; 


ii 


INDKX. 


Paob 

Black-billed  Cuckoo 207 

Black-billed  Magpie 267 

Blackbird,  llicolored 274 

Breweri 282 

Cow 272 

Crow 283 

Red-winged 274 

Ked-and-bl«ck-iihoulder'd  274 

Rusty 281 

Savanna 201 

Swamp 274 

Thrush 281 

Tricolored 275 

Yellow-headed 273 

Black-breasted  Sandpiper 113 

Blackburnian  Warbler 872 

Black-capped  Vireo 861 

Black -chinned  Hummingbird..  232 

Sparrow 809 

Black-crested  Titmouse 414 

Fly-catcher 842 

Black-crowned  Night  Heron  ..     96 

Black-iaced  Grassquit 386 

Black-headed  Grosbeak 881 

Gull 30 

Black-footed  Albatross 41 

BUck-necked  Stilt 108 

Black-poll  Warbler 372 

Black-shouldered  Kite 106 

Longspur 296 

Black-tailed  Godwit 119 

Gnat-catcher 480 

Black-throated  Blue  Warbler..  3C« 

Bunting 335 

Diver 7 

Gray  Warbler 374 

Green  Warbler 875 

Loon 7 

Murrelet 12 

Sparrow 318 

Black-vented  Shearwater 40 

Black  Vulture 182 

Black-whiskered  Vireo 346 

Blue  Grosbeak 332 

Hawk 108 

Jay 25S 

guail 138 

Blue-bills 00 

Bluebird 439 

Mountain 441 

Western 441 

Blue-faced  Booby 51 

Blue-footed  Booby Appendix 

Blue-fronted  Jay 259 

Blu*-gray  Gnat-catcher 429 

Blue-headed  Euphonia 336 

Grackle 282 

Ouail-dove 160 

Vireo 318 

Bluethroat,  Red-spotted 439 

Blue-winged  Teal 65 

Warbler 359 

Boat-tailed  Crow  Blackbird. . . .  284 


Pa»;e 

Boat-tailed  Grackle 284 

Bobolink 371 

Bob-while 187 

Florida 187 

Texan 187 

nohemian  Wax-wicg 841 

Ilonaparte's  Gull 31 

Sandpiper 113 

Bone-breaker 43 

Booby 51 

Blue  faced 51 

Blue-footed Appendix 

Brewster's Appendix 

Red-footed 61 

Boucard's  Sparrow 818 

Brandt's  Cormorant 60 

Brant HI 

Black 82 

Brewer's  Blackbird 2K2 

Sparrow 808 

Brewster's  Booby Appendix 

Bridal  Duck 67 

Bridled  Tern 88 

Bridled  Titmouse 410 

Broad-tailed  Htimmingbird....  !;8<'l 

Broad-winged  Hawk 178 

Bronzed  Crow  Blackbird  283 

Grackle 283 

Brown  Crane,  Little 97 

Back 110 

Brown  Creeper 410 

Lark 300 

Pelican 59 

Thrasher 391 

Towhee 327 

Brown-headed  Nuthatch 412 

Bruniiich's  Murre 16 

BufT-bellied  Hummingbird 236 

Bryant's  Marsh  Sparrow  29f) 

BufT-breasted  Sandpiper r25 

Buffle-head 71 

Bullbat 227 

Bull-head  Plover 129 

Bullock's  Oriole 281 

Bulwer's  Petrel 47 

Bunting,  Bay- winged 297 

Black-throated 335 

Canon 3'J7 

Cow 272 

Indigo 333 

Indigo  painted 333 

Lark 336 

Lazula 333 

Painted 334 

Varied 833 

Burion 287 

Burrowing  Owl 201 

Bush-Tit, 422 

California 422 

Lead-colored 423 

Yellow-headed 424 

Butter-ball 71 

Butter-box 71 


Paob 

Buiiard,  Anthracite 170 

Kuropean 173 

Ferruginous    Kough-leg- 

ged 181 

Red-tailed 178 

Turkey 1«1 

Cabot's  Tern M 

Cackling  (ioose 81 

Cactus  Wren 401 

St.  Lucas 402 

California  Clapp<:r  Rait 100 

Candor 160 

-  Crow 287 

Cuckoo 207 

Gull 28 

Jay 201 

Murre 15 

Partridge 180 

Purple  Finch.   286 

Screech  Owl IW 

Shrike 3-14 

Song  Sparrow 819 

Towhee 828 

Vulture 160 

Woodpecker 220 

Californiau  Chitkadee 421 

Creeper 411 

Thraither 890 

Calliope  Hummingbird 236 

Canada  Goose 80 

Grouse 142 

Jay 203 

Canadian  Ruffed  Grouse... .  .,  146 

Warbler 887 

Canon  Bunting 827 

Finch 328 

Towhee 827 

Canon  Wren 403 

Canvas-back 68 

Cape  May  Warbler 365 

Caracara,  Audubon's 189 

Cardinfll 329 

Grosbeak 329 

Cardinal,  Arizona 830 

Saint  Lucas 390 

Texan 330 

Carolina  Chickadee 418 

Dove 156 

Junco 310 

Parroquet 204 

Rail 101 

Wax-wing 312 

Wren 404 

Carrion  Crow 162 

Caspian  Tern 83 

Cassin's  Auklet 11 

Kingbird 239 

Purple  Finch 287 

Sparrow 316 

Vireo 349 

Catbird 394 

Cedar-bird 342 

Cedar  Wax-wing 342 


TNDKX. 


iii 


Paoi 

....  ITO 

...  m 

kg. 

...   181 
...  178 
...  1«1 
...  84 
...  81 
...  401 
...  W2 
...  100 
...  160 
...  287 
...  207 
...  28 
...201 
...  16 
..  180 
...  280 
..  Ifl7 
..  .444 
..  SlU 
,.  82K 
..  100 
..  22U 
..   421 
..  411 
..  890 
..  885 
..  80 
..  142 
,.  203 
,.  145 
.  387 
.  327 
.  328 
327 
..  403 
68 
.  365 
.  180 
.  ;t29 
.  .320 
.  330 
.  330 

.  mo 

.  418 
.  1.% 
.  310 
.  204 
.  101 
.  312 

404 

162 
33 
11 

230 

287 

316 

31!) 

3!I4 

342 

342 


Pag* 

Cerulean  Warbler 370 

Chachalaca 153 

Chat,  Long-tailed 385 

Yellow-breasted 384 

Cherry-bird 342 

Cheitnut-backed  Chickadee...  421 
ChMtnul-bellied   Scaled    Part- 
ridge   180 

Cheitniit  collared  Long«pin. , .  206 
Cheatniit-crowned  Towhee....  327 

Chestnut-sided  Warbler 371 

Chewink 324 

Chickadee 416 

Californian 421 

Carolina 418 

Chestnut-backed 421 

Hudsonian 420 

Long-tailed 417 

Mountain 410 

Oregon 417 

Plumbeous 418 

Siberian 420 

Chicken  Hawk 170 

Chimney  Swallow 230 

Swift 2;i0 

Chipping  Sparrow 307 

Chow-chow 20<t 

Chuck-will's  Widow 224 

Cinereous  Song-sparrow 320 

Cinnamon  Teal 65 

Clapper  Rail 100 

Clarke's  Crow 268 

Nutcracker 268 

Clay-colored  Sparrow 307 

Cliff  Swallow 330 

Cock,  Sage 1.00 

Cock  of  the  Plains 150 

Columbian  Sharp-tailed  Grouse  149 
Common  Atlantic  Shearwater..    45 

Brown  Crane 08 

Cormorant •')3 

Gallinule 104 

Puflin 9 

Tern 35 

Wild  Goose 80 

Condor,  California 160 

Connecticut  Warbler 382 

Cooper's  Hawk 170 

Tanager 338 

Coot,  American 105 

European 104 

Sea 76 

White-winged 76 

Coot-footed  Tring  a 105 

Cormorant 53 

Baird's 57 

Brandt's 56 

Common 53 

Double-crested 53 

Farallone 55 

Florida 54 

Cormorant,  Mexican 55 

Cormorant  Pelagic 60 


PAdR 

Cormorant  Red-faced 57 

Violet-green 60 

White-crtsted 54 

Corn  Crake 103 

Costa's  Hummingbird 28'2 

Couch's  Kingbird '2:18 

Cowbird 272 

Cow  lllackbird 'JH'i 

Bunting 272 

Cowbird,  Dwarf 273 

Red-eyed '273 

Crake,  Corn 103 

European  spotted lUI 

Spotted 101 

Yellow 102 

Crane,  Common  Krown 08 

Great  White 07 

Little  Brown 07 

Sandhill 08 

Whooping 07 

Craveri's  Murrelet 13 

Creeper,  Ilahaman  Honey .3.55 

Brown 410 

Californian 411 

Mexican 410 

Kockey  Mountain 410 

Crested  Auklet 12 

Crested  Flycatcher !ilO 

Crissal  Thrasher 400 

Towhee ;J28 

Crossbill,  American 280 

American  Red 280 

White-winged 280 

Crow,  American !•....  267 

California 267 

Carrion 162 

Clarke's 268 

Fish 268 

Florida 267 

Northwest   268 

Rain 20(i 

Crow  Blackbird 283 

Boat-tailed 284 

Bronzed 28;i 

Fan-tailed 2fM 

Crow-duck Hii,  10,0 

Crying-bird Oil 

Cuban  Nighthawk 228 

Cuckoo,  black-billed 207 

California 207 

Ground 205 

Mangrove 206 

Yellow-billed 206 

Curlew  Sandpiper 116 

Curlew,  Eskimo 127 

Hudsonian 126 

Jack 126 

Long-billed 126 

Spanish 87 

Curve  billed  Thrasher 397 

Cut-water 40 

Dark-bodied  Shearwater 46 

Darter .52 


Pag* 

Day  Owl aOO 

D«fby  Flycatcher 340 

Desert  Horned  Lark 255 

Song  Sparrow 810 

Dickciisel 835 

Dipper 71 

Dipper,  American 882 

Diver,  Black-throated 7 

Double-crested  Cormorant..,.    53 

Dough-bird 127 

Dove.  Carolina 150 

Ground 150 

Inca loU 

Mourning 156 

Rain 200 

Scaled 160 

Sea 10 

Turtle 160 

White-fronted 158 

White-winged 168 

Zenaida 157 

Dovekie 10 

Dowitcher 1 10 

Long-billed 110,  111 

Downy  Woodpecker 210 

Duck,  American  Scaup 00 

Black 62 

Black  Surf 76 

Bridal 67 

Crow 68 

Dipper 78 

Dusky "..     62 

Florida 02 

Gray 63 

Greater  Scaup 69 

Harlequin 72 

Lesser  Scaup 70 

Long-tail 72 

Raft 09 

Ring  necked 70 

King-necked  Scaup 70 

Ruddy 77 

Rufut  crested 68 

Stellar'* 78 

Surf 77 

Velvet 76 

Wood 67 

Duck  Hawk 186 

Dunlin, 115 

American 115 

Dusky  Duck 62 

Horned  Owl ItIO 

Grouse 141 

Kinglet 428 

Dwarf  Cowbird 273 

Hermit  Thrush 435 

Eagle,  Bald 183 

Golden 182 

Gray  Sea 183 

Mexican 189 

White-headed 183 

Eagle,  White-tailed 188 

Eave  Swallow 330 


wm 


IV 


INDEX. 


Pacb 

Egret,  American 02 

Great  White 02 

Reddish 03 

Eider, 74 

Spectacled 73 

American 74 

King 75 

Pacific 75 

Elegant  Tern 34 

Elf  Owl 203 

Elk(Swan). 84 

Emperor  Goose 83 

Eskimo  Curlew 127 

Euphonia,  Blue-headed 330 

European  Hlue  Heron 02 

Uuzzard 172 

Cout 104 

Golden  Plover 120 

Goldfinch 201 

Herring  Gull 20 

House  Sparrow 204 

Snipe 100 

Spotted  Crake 101 

Teal  64 

Titlark 301 

Tree  Sparrow 204 

Woodcock 108 

Evening  Grosbeak 285 

Everglade  Kite 167 

Falcon,  Aplomado 188 

Femoral 188 

Peale's 187 

Peregrine 186 

Prairie 186 

Wandering 186 

Fan-tailed  Crow  Blackbird  ....  284 

Farallone  Cormorant 55 

Femoral  Falcon 188 

Ferruginous  Rough-leg 181 

Field  Plover 125 

Sparrow 308 

Finch,  Aleutian  Rosy 200 

Bachman's 314 

California  Purple 288 

Canon 328 

Cassin's  Purple 287 

Crimson 286 

Grass 207 

Guadalupe  House 288 

House 287 

Lazuli  Painted 33.'i 

Lincoln's 321 

Painted 334 

Pine 20.} 

Purple 286 

Purple  Painted ..  333 

Sfvside 303 

Sharp-tailed 302 

Firebird 280 

Fish  Crow 268 

Hawk 101 

Flamingo,  American,  Appendix    85 
Flammulated  Screech  Owl 197 


Pagb 

Flicker 222 

Gilded ...  224 

Guadalupe 224 

Northwestern 223 

Red-shafted 228 

Yellow-shafted 222 

Flocking  Fowl 60 

Florida  Barred  Owl 194 

Blue  Jay 259 

Bob-white 137 

Burrowing  Owl 202 

Cormorant 54 

Crow 267 

Duck.     62 

Grack.j 283 

GuUinule 104 

Heron /.    91 

Jay 261 

Red-shouldered  Hawk...  175 

Screech  Owl 106 

Towhee 825 

Flycatcher,  Acadian 248 

Arizona  Crested 241 

Ash-throated 241 

Black-creasted 342 

Crested 240 

Derby 240 

Forked-tailed 236 

Gray  Little 251 

Great-crested 240 

Hammond's 251 

Little 240 

Least 251 

Mexican  Crested 241 

Olive-sided 244 

Scissor-tailed 236 

Small  Green-crested 248 

Swallow-tailed 236 

Traill's 250 

Vermilion 252 

Western £48 

Western  Yellow-bellied..  248 

Wright's 251 

Yellow-bellied 247 

Fly-up-the-Creek 95 

Fool  Quail 140 

Forked-tailed  Flycatcher 236 

Gull 32 

Petrel 47 

Forster's  Tern 35 

Fox  Sparrow 322 

Franklin's  Gull 31 

Grouse 144 

Freshwater  Marsh  Hen 09 

Frigate  Bird 69 

Fulmar 44 

Giant 43 

Pacific 44 

Rodgers' 45 

Fulvous  Tree  Duck 84 

Gadwall 63 

Gairdner's  Woodpecker 211 

Gallinule,  Common 104 


Pack 

Gallinule,  Florida 104 

Purple 103 

Gambel's  Sparrow 305 

White-crowned  Sparrow.  SOfi 

Partridge 140 

Gannet,  Brown 52 

White 52 

Garrot 70 

Giant  Fulmar 43 

Petrel 43 

Gila  Woodpecker 222 

Gilded  Flicker 224 

Glaucous  Gull 23 

Glaucous-winged  Gull 24 

Glossy  Ibis 88 

White-faced 88 

Gnatcatcher,  Black-tailed 430 

Blue-gray 420 

Plumbeous 429 

Goatsucker , 227 

Godwit,  Black-tailed 119 

Great  Marbled 117 

Hudsonian 118 

Marbled 117 

Pacific 118 

Golden  Eagle 182 

Robin 280 

Golden-cheeked  Warbler 374 

Golden-crowned  Kinglet 426 

Sparrow 306 

Golden-eye,  American 70 

Barrow's 71 

Golden-fronted  Woodpecker...  221 
Golden-winged  Woodpecker...  222 

Warbler 360 

Golden  Plover 129 

Goldfinch, 294 

American 291 

Arizona 292 

Arkansas 292 

Arkansaw  Green-backed.  202 

European 294 

Lawrence's 292 

Goose,American  White-front'd    79 

Barnacle 82 

Brant 81 

Cackling 81 

Canada 80 

Common  Wild 80 

Emperor 83 

Hutchins's 81 

Laughing 70 

Lesser  Snow 78 

Painted 83 

Solan 52 

White-fronted ,    79 

Goshawk,  A  merican 171 

Mexican 170 

Western 171 

Grackle,  Blue-headed 282 

Boat-tailed 284 

Grackle,  Bronzed 283 

Florida .i 283 


INDEX. 


Page 

Grackle,  Great  tailed   284 

Purple 283 

Rusty 281 

Texas  284 

Grassquit, 335 

Blark-faced 885 

Grass  Finch 297 

Grass  Plover 125 

Gr^y  Duck 63 

Gyrfalcon 185 

Kingbird 238 

Little  Flycatcher 251 

Phalarope 105 

RufTed  Grouse 145 

Sea  Eagle 183 

Snipe 110 

Vireo 354 

Towhee 328 

Gray-back  . . ,   110 

Gray  Bird 297 

Gray-cheekei.  thrush 433 

Gray-headed  J  unco 312 

Snowbird 312 

GreatAuk 17 

Black-backed  Gull 25 

Blue  Heron 91 

PrayOwl 194 

HornedOwl 198 

White  Et  ret 92 

White  h   ron 91 

Great-crested  Flycatcher 240 

Great-head 70 

Greater  Gray-beak HI 

Long-beak Ill 

Scaup  Duck 09 

Shearwater 45 

Yellow-legs HO 

Great-footed  Hawk 180 

Great-tailed  Grackle 284 

Grebe,  Holboell's 2 

Horned 3 

Western 1 

Green  Black-capped  Flycatch- 

ing  Warbler 386 

Heron 96 

Jay 263 

Sandpiper 122 

Green-head 61 

Greenlet.    (See  Vireo.) 

Green-shank 11!) 

Green-tailed  Towhee.... 327 

Green- winged  Tea? 64 

Groove-billed  Ani 201 

Grosbeak,  American  Pine  285 

Black-headed 331 

Blue 332 

Cardinal 329 

Evening 285 

Purple 286 

Rose-brtasted 331 

Ground  Cuckoo , 205 

Robin 324 

Grouse,  Black 142 


Pagr 

Grouse,  Canada 142 

Canadian  Ruffed 145 

Columbian  Sharp-tailed..  140 

Dusky 141 

Franklin's 144 

Gray  Ruffed 145 

Oregon  Ruffed 145 

Pinnated 147 

Prairie  Sharp-tailed 160 

Red-ruffed 145 

Richardson's 142 

Ruffed 144 

Sage   150 

Sharp-tailed 140 

Sooty 141 

Spotted 142 

Spruce 142 

Wood 142 

Gudalupe  Flicker 224 

House  Finch 288 

Junco 312 

Petrel,  foot  note 49 

Rock  Wren 403 

Guan,  Texas lo.'( 

Guillemot,  Black 13 

Mandt's 14 

Pigeon 14 

Gull,  American  Herring 27 

Black-headed 80 

Bonaparte's 31 

California 28 

European  Herring 20 

Fork-tailed 32 

Franklin's 31 

Glaucus 23 

Glaucus-winged 24 

Great  Black-backed 26 

Heermann's 30 

Herring 26 

Iceland 24 

Ivory 21 

Kittiwake 21 

Kumlein's 21 

Laughing 30 

Mackeral 35 

Mew  29 

Pallas's 27 

Point  Barrow 23 

Skua 19 

Summer 35 

Ring-billed 28 

Sabine's .'i2 

Short-billed  29 

Siberian .T. .     20 

Western 25 

White-headed 30 

White-winged 24 

Gull-billed  Tern 82 

Gull  Hunter 19 

Gyrfalcon 185 

BLick   185 

Greenland 184 

Gyrfalcon,  Gray iS6 


Pacb 

Gyrfalcon,  MacFarlane's 185 

Hair-bird 307 

Hairy-head 61 

Hairy  Woodpecker 200 

Hammond's  Flycatcher.- 251 

Harlequin  Duck 72 

Harrier 168 

Harris's  Hawk 172 

Sparrow Appendix  tiOt 

Woodpecker 210 

Hawk, American  Rough-legged  IKO 

American  Sparrow 188 

Black 180-187 

Blue 168 

Hroad-winged 178 

Chicken 170 

Coopers 170 

Duck 186 

Fish 191 

Florida  Red-shouli!ered.  175 

Great  footed 18(1 

Harris's 172 

Krider's 174 

Marsh 168 

Mexican  Black 179 

Pigeon  187 

Red-bellied 175 

Red-shoulderrd 174 

Red-tailed ..  173 

Rough-lcggcd 180 

Sharp-shinned ..   160 

Swainson's 177 

White-tailed 176 

Zone-tailed 178 

Heath  Hen 143 

Heermann's  (Jull 30 

Song  Sparrow 310 

Hell-diver 6,     71 

Hcloise's  Hummingbird 23'.\ 

Hen,  Heath I4K 

Prairie  117 

Sage 180 

Henslow's  Grasshopper    .Spar- 
row   .'iOI 

Hermit  Thrush 436 

Warbler '.m 

Heron,  Black-crowned  Night..    96 

European  Blue iYi 

Florida 91 

Great  Blue 91 

Great  White 91 

Green 95 

Little  Blue 91 

Louisiana 94 

Snowy 93 

Ward's 91 

Vellow-crowncd  Night,..     96 

Herring  Gull,  American 27 

European ...   26 

High-holder 222 

Hoary  R--dpo!l 290 

HolbicU's  Grebe 2 

Hooded  Flycatching  Warbler  .  3>V> 


ass 


'" 


VI 


INDEX. 


Pace 

Hooded  Merganser 61 

Oriole 278 

Warbler 385 

Hooper 84 

Hoot  Owl 198 

Horn-billed  Auk 11 

Horned  Grebe 8 

Lark 253 

Puffin 10 

House  Finch 287 

Wren 400 

Hudsonian  Curlew 120 

Chickadee 420 

Godwit 118 

Hummingbird,  Allen's 234 

Anna's 233 

Black-chinned 232 

Broad-tailed 233 

Buff-bellied 235 

Calliope 235 

Costa's 232 

Heloise's '234 

Ruby-throated 231 

Rufous 23* 

Xantus's 236 

Hunter,  Gull 19 

Hurricane  Bird 59 

Hutchins' Goose.. ., 81 

Hutton's  Vireo 352 

Ibis,  Glossy 88 

Scarlet 87 

White 87 

Wood 89 

Ice-bird  19 

Iceland  Gull 24 

Inca  Dove 159 

Indigo  Painted  Bunting 333 

Bluebird  333 

Bunting 333 

Intermedi.ite  Sparrow 305 

White-crowned 305 

Ipswich  Sparrow. 298 

Ivory  Gull 21 

Ivory-billed  Woodpecker 209 

Jabiru 89 

Jacana,  Mexican 136 

Jackdaw 284 

Jack  Snipe 110 

Jaeger,  Long-tailed 20 

Parasitic 20 

Pomarine 19 

Jay,  Arizona 262 

Blue 268 

Blue-fronted 250 

California 261 

Canada 263 

Florida 201 

Florida  Blue 250 

Green 268 

Long-crested 200 

Oregon    264 

Pinon  289 

Jay,  Rio  Grande aB8 


Page 

Jay,  Pocky  Mountain 264 

Steller's 250 

Woodhouse's 261 

Judas-bird 835 

Junco,  Arizona 312 

Carolina 310 

Gray-hea<!ed 312 

Guadalupe 312 

Oregon 311 

Pink-sided 311 

Red-backed 312 

Sl.ite-colored 300 

Kadikk  Song  Sparrow 3*20 

Kennicott's  Screech  Owl 197 

Kentucky  Warbler 381 

Kestrel Appendix. 

Key  West  Quail-dove IW) 

Kildeer i;«) 

King  Eider 75 

Rail 99 

Kingbird,  Arkansas 239 

Cassin's 239 

Couch's 238 

Gray 238 

Western 239 

Kinghsher,  Belted  208 

Texan  Green 208 

Kinglet,  Dusky 428 

Golden-crowned 425 

Ruby-crowned 427 

Western  Golden-crowned  427 

Kite,  Black-shoulder l(i5 

Everglade 107 

Mississippi 166 

Swallow-tailed 163 

White-tailed 16.') 

Kittiwake 21 

Pacific 22 

Red-legged 22 

Knot Ill 

Krider's  Red-tail 174 

Kumlien'sGull 24 

Ladder-backed  Woodpecker. . .  212 
Three-toed  Woodpecker.  216 

Lady  of  the  Waters 94 

Lanner,  American 186 

Lapland  Longspur 296 

Lapwing,  Crested 128 

Large-billed  Puffin 10 

Wag-tail  Warbler i!80 

Water-thrush itSO 

Lark  Bunting 336 

Finch 303 

Sp.irrow 303 

Lark,  Desert  Horned 255 

Horned 253 

Mexican 256 

Old  Field '275 

Pallid  Horned '254 

Prairie  Horned 254 

Ruddy  Horned '260 

Shore 263 

Lark,  Streaked  Horned 256 


Pace 

Lark,  Texan  Horned 265 

Laughing  Gull 30 

Goose 79 

Lawrence's  Goldfinch 292 

Lazuli,  Bunting 333 

Painted  Finch 333 

Leach's  Petrel 48 

Lead-colored  Bush-tit 423 

Least  Auklet 12 

Bittern 90 

Flycatcher 251 

Sandpiper 114 

Tern 87 

Vireo 354 

Le  Conte's  Sparrow 302 

Thrasher 399 

Lesser  Scaup  Duck 70 

Snow  Goose 78 

Tell-tale 120 

Lettuce-bird 291 

Leucosticte,  Aleutian 290 

Lewis's  Woodpecker 220 

Limkin 88 

Lincoln's  Finch 321 

Sparrow , ,  321 

Linnet 286 

Linnet,  Pine 293 

Redpoll 290 

Little  Blue  Heron 04 

Brown  Crane 97 

Field  Lark 335 

Flycatcher 249 

Horned  Owl 196 

Ringed  Dotterel 132 

Ring  Plover 132 

Loggerhead  Shrike S'lS 

Long-billed  Curlew 126 

Dowitchcr Ill 

Marsh  Wren 400 

Long-crested  Jay 280 

Long-legged  Sandpiper HI 

Longspur,  Black-shouldered...  296 

Bay-winged 297 

Chestnut-collared 296 

Lapland 295 

McCown's 297 

Painted   )ffl6 

Smith's 290 

White-tailed 296 

Long-tailed  Chat 385 

Chickadee 417 

Duck 72 

House  Wren 405 

Jaegar 20 

Loon 6 

Black-throated 7 

Pacific 7 

Red-lhroatcd 8 

White-billed 6 

Yellow-billed 6 

Louisiana  Heron 94 

Lark  800 

Louisiana  Tanagcr 330 


% 


,-, 


« 


s 


Pagb 

Louisiana  Water  Thrush 380 

Lucy's  Warbler 361 

Lutcscent  Warbler 368 

McCown's  Longspur 297 

MacFarlane's  Gyrfalcon 185 

MacGillivray's  Warbler 383 

Magnolia  Warbler 30!) 

Magpie,  American 257 

Black-billed 257 

Yellow-billed 2.58 

Mallard  61 

Mandt's  Guillemot 1  i 

Mangrove  Cuckoo 206 

Man-o"-War  liird 5(1 

Man-of-War 20 

Manx  Shearwater 45 

Marbled  Godwit 117 

Murrelet 13 

Marlin  117 

Marsh  Blue-bill 70 

Hawk 16S 

Owl 103 

Robin 321 

Tern 32 

Martin,  Purple .'UiK 

Sand 341 

Maryland  Yellow. tliroai ;!83 

Massena  Partridge 140 

Meadow  Pipit 391 

Meadowlark 275 

Western 276 

Meadow-wink 271 

Merganser,  American 60 

Hooded  61 

Red-breasted    61 

Merlin   Appendix. 

Richardson's 188 

Mexican  Black  Hawk 179 

Canary 334 

Cormorant 55 

Creeper 410 

Crested  Flycatcher 241 

Eagle 180 

Goshawk 17!) 

Horned  Lark 256 

Jacana 136 

Raven 265 

Screech  Owl 197 

Sparrow 316 

Turkey 152 

Mississippi  Kite 166 

Missouri  Skylark 301 

Mockingbird 393 

Mountain 3il2 

Mongolian  Plover 133 

Monkey-faced  Owl 101 

Moose-Bird   263 

Mother  Cary's  Goose 43 

Chicken 47 

Mottled  Owl 106 

Mountain  Bluebird 441 

Chickadee 410 

Mountain  Partridge 137 


INDEX. 

Paob 

Mountain  Plover 134 

Mockingbird H02 

Solitary  Vireo 349 

Song  Spurrow 310 

Mourning  Dove 156 

Warbler 882 

Mud  Hen 10) 

Red-billed 104 

Murre 15 

Brunnich's, 16 

California 15 

Pallas's 16 

Murrelet,  Black-throated 1*2 

Craveri's 13 

Marbled 13 

Myrtle  Warbler 867 

Nashville  Wirbler 362 

New  York  Acccnter 379 

Night  Heron,  Black-crowned. .    95 

Yellow-crowned 96 

Nighthawk 227 

Cuban 22P 

Texan 2::9 

Western 228 

Nightingale,  Virgini.tn 320 

Noddy  Tern 40 

Nonpareil 334 

Western im 

Northern  Black  Cloud  Swift...  220 

Phalarope 106 

Raven 265 

Shrike 343 

Northwest  Crow 268 

Northwestern  Flicker 223 

Nutcracker,  Clarke's 288 

Nuthatch,  Brown-he.idcd 412 

Pigmy 413 

Red-breasted 412 

Slender-billed 411 

White-breasted 411 

Nuttall's  Poorwill 226 

Woodprcker 212 

Old  Field  I, .irk 275 

Obi-squaw   72 

Old-wife 72 

Olivo-backcd  Thrush 436 

Olive-sided  Flycalch.>r 241 

Orange-crowned  Warbler 362 

Orchard  OrioK- 281) 

Oregon  Chickadee  417 

Ground  Robin 326 

Jay 264 

Junco 311 

Song  Sparrow 320 

Ruffed  Grouse 145 

Towhee 32<l 

Oriole,  Audubon's  , 277 

Arizona  Hooded 279 

Ibllimorc 280 

Black-and-yellow 277 

Bullock's 281 

Hooded  278 

Oriole,  Orchard 280 


Vll 

Page 

Oriole,  Paris 277 

Scott's 277 

Osprey,  American  190 

Ouiel,  American  Water 892 

Oven-hird 878 

Owl,  Acadian  Appendix  195 

American  Hawk 200 

Hoot 108 

American  Li>ng-eared 192 

American   Sparrow 105 

Arctic  Horned 199 

Biirn 101 

B.irred  198 

Burrowing 201 

California  Screech 197 

Day 200 

Dusky  Horned 109 

Elf 203 

Flammulated  Screech 197 

Florida  Barred 104 

Florida  Screech 196 

Florida  Burrowing 202 

Great  Gray 194 - 

(Jreat  Horned 198 

Hoot 198 

Kennicott's  Screech 197 

Little  Horned 196 

Marsh 193 

Mexican  Screech 197 

Monkey-faced 101 

Mottled 198 

Pygmy 202 

Red 196 

Richardson's 105 

Rocky  Mountain  Screech  197 

Round-headed lOIl 

Saw  whet 185 

Screech 106 

Short-eared IBS 

Snowy 200 

Spotted 194 

Texas  Screech 100 

Western  Barred 194 

Western  Horned 190 

Wood 103 

Ox-Lird 115 

Ox-eye I'JO 

Oyster-catcher 186 

American 136 

Black i36 

lirown-backed 186 

Pacific  Eider 76 

Fulmar 44 

Godwit 118 

Golden  Plover 180 

Kittiwake 22 

Loon 7 

Painted  Bunting 884 

Finch 334 

Flycatching  Warbler....  888 

Goose HA 

Longspur 296 

Painted  Redstart 880 


Vlll 

Pacb 

Paisano 205 

Pallas's  Gull 27 

Murre 16 

Pallid  Horned  Lark 264 

Palmer's  Thrasher 308 

Parasitic  Jaeger 20 

Parauque Appendix  227 

Paris  Oriole 277 

Parkman's  Wren -107 

Parroquet,  Carolina 201 

Parrot,  Sea 8 

Partridge,  California 139 

Chestnnt-btUicd  Scaled  .   139 

Gambcl's 140 

Massena 140 

Mountain 137 

Plumed 137,  138 

Scaled : 138 

Valley 140 

Parula  Warbler  303 

Pabsenger  Pigeon 156 

Peale's  Falcon 187 

Pectoral  Sandpiper 113 

Pelagic  Cormorant 5(> 

Pelican,  Brown I'J 

California  lirown 59 

Peregrine  Falcon 188 

Petrel,  Ashy 49 

Bulwer's 47 

Fork-tailed 47 

Guadalupe  (foot  note.) ...    49 

Leach's 48 

Stormy 47 

Wilson's  Stormy 49 

Pewee 242 

Western  Wood 240 

Wood 24.') 

Phalarope,  Gray 105 

Northern 106 

Red 105 

Wilson's 106 

Phainopepla 342 

Philadelphia  Vireo 340 

Phcebe 242 

Black 244 

Say's 243 

Pigeon  Guillemot 14 

Hawk 187 

Pigeon,  Hand-tailed 154 

I'assenger 150 

Ked-billed 155 

Sea l-i 

White-collared 154 

While-crowned 155 

Wild 156 

Pigmy,  Nuthatch 413 

Owl  202 

Pileated  Woodpecker 219 

Pileolated  Warbler 380 

Pine  Finch 293 

Linnet 293 

Siskin 293 

Pine  Warbler 377 


INDEX. 

Page 

Pine-woods  Sparrow   314 

Pink-sided  Junco 311 

Pinnated  Grouse 147 

Pinon  Jay 269 

Pin-tail 66 

Chicken 149 

Piping  Plover 132 

Pipit,  American 390 

Meadow 391 

Sprague's 891 

Plain  Titmouse 415 

Plover,  American  Golden  .....  130 

Asiatic  Gulden 130 

Belted  Piping 132 

Black  bellied 129 

Golden 129 

Green 130 

Little  Ring  Plover 132 

Mongolian   I'Sii 

Mountain 134 

Pacific  Golden 130 

Piping 132 

Prairie 134 

Ring 131 

RudJy 117 

Semi-palmeated 131 

Ring  ....  131 

Snowy 133 

Ring 133 

Whistling  Field 129 

Wilson's 133 

Plumbeous  Chickadee 418 

Gnatcatcher    429 

Vireo 349 

Plumed  Partridge 137,  138 

Po;hard 68 

Point  Bartow  Gull 23 

Pomarine  Jaeger 10 

Poor-will,  N  uttall's 220 

Pheasant 144 

Prairie  Hen 147 

Horned  Lark 254 

Falcon 186 

Pigeon 125 

Sharp-tailed  Grouse..  149,  150 

Snipe 125 

Warhler 378 

hrothonotary  Warbler 356 

Prybilof  Sandpiper 113 

Snowflakc 295 

Prusiano 383 

Ptarmigan,  Reinhardt's 147 

Rock 146 

White-tailed 147 

Willow    liti 

Puffin  9 

Common 9 

Horned  10 

Large-billed   10 

Tufted   8 

Pug-nosed  Auk 11 

Purple  Finch 280 

Purple  Gallinuie 103 


Pagb 

Purple  Crackle 283 

Grosbeak 286 

Martin 338 

Painted  Finch 333 

Sandpiper 112 

Purre  115 

Qua-bird 95 

Quail,  Arizona 140 

Blue 138 

Valley 130 

Quail-dove,  Key  West 160 

Blue-headed 160 

Raft  Duck 69 

Rail,  BK-.ck 102 

California  Clapper 100 

Carolina 101 

Clapper lOJ 

King 99 

Land 103 

Red-breasted 90 

Virginia 101 

Yellow  102 

Rain  Crow 206 

Dove 206 

Raven,  Mexican 26S 

Northern 265 

White-necked 266 

Razorbill 40 

Razor-billed  Auk 17 

Red  Owl  196 

Phalarope 105 

RuflTed  Grouse 145 

R  c  d  -  a  n  d-b  I  a  c  k  .shouldered 

Blackbird 274 

Rcd-and-whit  e-shouldcred 

Blackbird 275 

Red-backed  Junco 312 

Sandpiper 115 

Red-bellied  Hawk 175 

Snipe Ill 

Woodpecker 221 

Red-billed  Mud-hen 104 

Pigeon 155 

Tropic-bird 50 

Redbird 320 

Red- breasted  Merganser 61 

Nuthatch 412 

Rail 00 

Sapsucker '217 

Snipe 110 

Red-cockaded  Woodpecker 211 

Reddish  Egret 93 

Red-eyed  Cowbird 273 

Towhee 324 

Vireo 345 

Red-faced  Cormorant 57 

Warbler 380 

Red-footed  Booby    51 

Red-head 68 

Red-headed  Woodpecker 219 

Linnet 287 

Red-winged  Blackbird 274 

Starling 274 


INDEX. 


IX 


Page 

Red-winged  Thrush 437 

Reed-Bird 271 

Rein.ardt's  Ptarmigan 147 

Rhinoceros  Auklet lU 

Rice  bird 271 

Rich-.rdson's  Grouse J42 

Merlin 188 

Owl 195 

Ringed  Dotterel 131 

Ring  Plover 131 

Ring-necked  Duck 70 

Scaup  Duck 70 

Ring-billed  Blackhead 70 

Gull 28 

Rio  Grande  Jay 263 

Road-runner 206 

Robin,  American 487 

Golden 280 

Ground 324 

Marsh 324 

Oregon  Ground 326 

Western 488 

Rock  Ptarmigan 146 

Sparrow 318 

Wren 402 

Rocky  Mountain  Creeper 410 

Garrot 71 

Jay 264 

Screech  Owl 197 

Whisky  Jack 264 

Rogers' Fulmar 45 

Rose  Tanager 337 

Roseate  Spoonbill 86 

Tern 36 

Rose-breasted  Grosbeak 331 

Rough-legged  Hawk 180 

Rough-winged  Swallow 341 

Round-headed  Owl 193 

Royal  Tern 34 

Ruby-crowned  Kinglet 427 

Ruby-throated  Hummingbird..  331 

Ruddy  Duck 77 

Horned  Lark 256 

Plover 117 

Ruff 124 

Ruffed  Grouse 144 

Rufous  Hummingbird 284 

Rufous-crested  Duck 68 

Rufous-crowned  Sparrow 317 

Rufous-winged  iSparrow 317 

Russet-backed  Thrush 434 

Rusty  Blackbird 281 

Grackle 281 

Song  Sparrow 320 

Sabine's  Gull 82 

Saddle-back 25 

Sage  Cock 150 

Grouse 150 

Hen 150 

Sparrow 314 

Thrasher 392 

Saint  Domingo  Grebe 4 

Saint  Lucas  Cirdinul 880 


Pack 

Saint  Lucas  Thrasher 399 

Towhee 328 

Salt-water  Marsh  Hen 100 

Samuels'  Song  Sparrow 32U 

Sanderling 117 

Sandhill  Crane 98 

Sand  Martin 341 

Sandpiper,  Aleutian 112 

American  Green 121 

Ash-colored 112 

Baird's 114 

Bartramian 124 

Black-I.ellied 115 

Black-brtusted 113 

Bonaparte's  118 

Buff  breasted 125 

Curlew 116 

Green 122 

Least  114 

Long-legged HI 

Red-breasted 110 

Red-backed 115 

Pectoral 113 

Purple 112 

Prybilof 113 

Semi-palmated 116 

Solitary 121 

Spotted 125 

Stilt Ill 

Western ;17 

Whistling 122 

White-rumped 113 

Sandwich  Tern 34 

Sapsucker 209,  411 

Lesser 210 

Red-breasted 217 

Red-naped 216 

Yellow-bellied 215 

Savanna  Blackbird 204 

Savannah  Sparrow 298 

Saw-whet  Owl Appendix  195 

Say's  Phoebe 243 

Scaled  Dove 159 

Partridge 138 

Scarlet  Ibis 87 

Tanager 337 

Scissor-talled  Flycatcher 236 

Scoter,  American 75 

Surf 77 

Velvet 76 

Scott's  Oriole 277 

Screech  Owl 1B6 

Sea-Coot 76 

Sea  Crow Al 

Sea  Dove 19 

SeaDog 40 

Sea-mew 29 

Sea-parrot 8 

Sea  Pigeon 14 

Seaside  Finch 303 

Sparrow 308 

Sea  Swallow 35,  37 

Seed-eater,  Sharpe'i 834 


Page 

Semipalmated  Plover 181 

Stndpiper Utt 

Sennett's  Thrasher 897 

Warbler  366 

Sharpe's  Seed-eater 384 

Sharp-shinned  Hawk 169 

Sharp-tailed  Finch 802 

Grouse 149 

Sparrow 802 

Shearwater 40 

Audubon's 46 

Audubon's  Dusky 46 

Black-vented 4C 

Dark-bodied 46 

Greater 45 

Manx 45 

Sooty 46 

Wandering 45 

Sheldrake 80 

Shining  Fly-snapper 842 

Shore  Lark 263 

Short-billed  Gull 29 

Marsh  Wren 408 

Short-eared  Owl 193 

Short-tailed  Albatross 41 

Tern 39 

Shoveller 66 

Shrike,  California 344 

Loggerhead 843 

Northern 843 

White-rumped 844 

Shuffler 69 

Siberian  Chickadee 420 

Gull 26 

Yellow  Wagtail 390 

Sickle-bill 126 

Siskin,  American 298 

Pine 298 

Skimmer,  Black 40 

Skua 19 

Skunk  Blackbird 271 

Skylark 268 

Slate-colored  Sparrow 828 

Junco 309 

Slender-billed  Nuthatch 411 

Small-billed  Water-thrush 379 

Small      Green -creasted      Fly- 
catcher  248 

Smith's  Longspur 296 

Snake-bird  62 

Snake  Killer 205 

Snipe,  American 110 

European 109 

Gray 110 

Jack no 

Red-bellied Ill 

Red-breasted 110 

Wilson's 110 

Snowflake 28E.- 

Prybilof 2g& 

Snow  Bunting 296' 

Snow-bird,  Black 309 

Gray-headed 812 


INDEX. 


r: 


Pace 

Snowy  Heron 98 

Snowy  Owl 200 

Snub-nosed  Auk 12 

Solan  Goose 52 

Solitaire,  Townsend's 431 

Solitary  Sandpiper 121 

Song  Sparrow 318 

Sooty  Albatross 43 

Shearwater 46 

Tern 38 

Sora 101 

South-southerly 72 

Spanish  Curlew 87 

Sparrow,  Aleutian 320 

Bachman's 314 

Baird's 300 

Belding's  Marsh 300 

Bell's 313 

Boucard's 318 

Black-chinned 309 

Black-throated 313 

Brewer's 308 

Bryant's  Marsh 299 

California  Song 319 

Cassin's 31U 

Chipping 307 

Cinereous  Song 320 

Clay-colored . .  307 

Desert-song 319 

European  House 291 

European  Tree 294 

Field 308 

Fox 322 

Gambel's 305 

"         White-crowned  305 

Golden-crown 306 

Grasshopper 300 

Harris's Appendix  304 

Heermann's  Song 319 

Henslow's 301 

Henslow's  Grasshopper..  301 

Intermediate 305 

White- 
Crowned 305 

Ipswich 298 

KadiakSong 320 

Lark 803 

Le  Conte's  302 

Lincoln's 321 

Mexican 316 

Mountain  Song 319 

Oregon  Song 320 

Pine-woods 314 

Rock 318 

Rusty-song 320 

Rufous-crowned 317 

Rufous-winged 317 

Sage 314 

Samuel's  Song 320 

Savannah 298 

Sharp-tailed 302 

Seaside 303 

Slate-colored 828 


Pagb 

Sparrow,  Song 318 

Swamp 321 

Texas 323 

Sparrow,  Townsend's 322 

Thick-billed 323 

Tree 300 

Vesper 297 

\Vestern  Chipping ."107 

Western  Field 3j9 

Western  Grasshopper  . . .  301 

Western  Lark ,;04 

Western  Savannah '^iB 

Western  Tree ,i07 

Western  Vesper 267 

White-crowned 305 

White-throated 306 

Spectacled  Eider 73 

Spirit-duck 71 

Spoonbill  Duck 60 

Roseate 86 

Spotted  Crake 101 

Grouse 142 

Owl 194 

Sandpiper 125 

Sprague's  Pipit 391 

Sprig-tail 66,    78 

Spruce  Grouse 142 

Spurred  Towhee 326 

Squawk 95 

Starling 270 

Red-winged 274 

Stellar's  Duck 73 

Jay 259 

Stephen's  Vireo 353 

Whip-poor-will 226 

Stilt,  Black-necked 108 

Stilt  Sandpiper Ill 

Stork,  American 89 

Stormy  Petrel 47 

Streaked  Horned  Lark 256 

Summer  Redbird 337 

Tanager 337 

Gull 35 

Surf  Duck 77 

Scoter 77 

Swainson's  Hawk  177 

Warbler 357 

Swallow,  Bank  341 

Barn 339 

Chimney 230 

Cliff 330 

Eave 339 

Rough-winged 341 

Sea 35,    37 

Tree 340 

Violet  green   340 

White-bellied 340 

Swallow-tailed  Flycatcher 238 

Kite 163 

Swamp  Blackbird 274 

Sparrow 321 

Swan,  Whistling 84 

Whooping 84 


Pagb 

Swan,  Trumpeter 85 

Swift,  Black 220 

Chimney 230 

Swift,  Northern  BUc'-  Chowd.  229 

Vaux's 231 

Swiss  Plover 129 

Tanager,  Cooper's 338 

Hepatic 337 

Louisiana 836 

Rose  3;I7 

Scarlet 337 

Summer 837 

Teal,  Green-winged 64 

Blue-winged 65 

Cinnamon 63 

European 64 

Tell-tale 119 

Lesser I'iO 

Tennessee  Warbler 363 

Tern,  Aleutian 37 

Arctic 36 

Black 39 

Bridled 38 

Cabot's 34 

Caspian 33 

Common 3j 

Elegant 34 

Forster's 35 

Gull-billed 32 

Least 37 

Marsh 32 

Noddy 40 

Paradise 36 

Royal 84 

Roseate  36 

Sandwich 34 

Short-tailed 39 

Sooty 38 

White-winged  Black 39 

Wilson's.. 35 

Texan  Bob-white 137 

Cardinal 330 

Green  Kingfisher '208 

Guan 153 

Horned  Lark 255 

Kingfisher 208 

Night-hawk 229 

Screech-owl 196 

Thrasher 397 

Woodpecker 212 

Texas,  Grackle 284 

Sparrow 323 

Thick-billed  Sparrow 323 

Thistle-bird 291 

Thrasher,  Bendire's 398 

Brown 394 

Crissal 400 

Californian 399 

Curve-billed 397 

Leconte's 899 

Palmsr's 898 

Sennett's 3  7 

St.  Lucas 399 


..|»^awtf!>' 


li 


Pack 

Thrasher,  Sage 892 

Texas 307 

Thrush,  Audubon's  Hermit.. . .  436 

Bicknell's  434 

Thrush,  Dwarf  Hermit 435 

Gray-cheeked 433 

Hermit 436 

Large-billed  Water 380 

Louisiana  Water 380 

Olive-backed 436 

Red-winged 437 

Russet-backed 434 

Townsend's  Fly-catching  431 

Water- 379 

Varied 438 

Willow 433 

Wilson's 432 

Wood 432 

Thrush  Blackbird 281 

Titmouse,  Black-creasted 414 

Bridled 416 

Plain 415 

Tufted 413 

Towhee 324 

Abert's 328 

Arctic 325 

Brown ;327 

California 328 

Canon .327 

Chestnut-crowned 327 

Crissal 328 

Florida 325 

Gray 328 

Green-tailed .327 

Oregon 326 

Red-eyed .'J24 

Saint  Lucas 328 

Spurred .326 

White-eyed 325 

White  throated  Brown...  328 
Townsend'i.  Fly-catching 

Thrush 431 

Solitaire 431 

Sparrow ;i22 

Warbler- ;,7fl 

Traill's  Flycatcher 250 

Tree-duck,  Black-bellied 83 

Fulvous 84 

Long-legged 83 

Tree  Sparrow ,306 

Swallow 340 

Tricolored  Blackbird 276 

Tropic  Bird,  Red-billed 50 

Yellow-billed 50 

Troupial 276 

Trumpeter  Swan 85 

Tufted  Puffin 8 

Titmouse 413 

Tule  Wren 409 

Turkey,  Wild 151 

Mexican 152 

Turkey  Buzzard 161 

Vulture 101 


INDEX. 

Fagb 

Turnstone 134 

Black   135 

Upland  Plover 125 

Valley  Quail 189 

Vallev  Partridge 140 

Varied  Bunting 333 

Thrush 438 

Vaux's  Swift 2.31 

Veery 432 

Velvet  Scoter 76 

Verdin  424 

Vermillion  Flycatcher 262 

Vigor's  Wren 406 

Violet-green  Cormorant 56 

Swallow 310 

Vireo,  Bell's 353 

Black-capped P")! 

Black-whiskered     3(5 

Blue-headed 348 

Cassin's 340 

Gray 3^ 

Hutton's 352 

Least 354 

Mountain  Solitary  - 349 

Philadelphia 346 

Plumbeous 349 

Red-eyed 345 

Stephens's 353 

Warbling 316 

White-eyed 352 

Yellow-th  roated 347 

Virginia  Nightingale 329 

Rail 101 

Virginia's  Warbler 361 

Vulture,  Black 102 

California 160 

Tirkey 161 

Wagtail,  Siberian  Yellow 390 

White 889 

Wagtail  Warbler 379 

Wandering  Albatross 41 

Falcon 180 

Shearwater 45 

Warbler,  Audubon's 368 

Azure 370 

Bachman's 359 

Bay-breasted 371 

Blackburnian 372 

Black  and  White im 

Bl,ick-and-yellow 369 

Black-poll 372 

Black-throated  Blue :!66 

Black-throated  Gray ■>74 

Black-throated  Green..       375 

Blue-eyed  Yellow 366 

Blue-winged 359 

Blue-yellow  backed .363 

Canadian 387 

Canada  Flycatching .387 

Cape  May 365 

Cerulean 370 

Chestnut-sided 371 

Connecticut 882 


XI 

Pacb 

Warbler,  Golden 366 

Golden-cheeked 374 

Golden-winged 860 

Green  Black-capped   Fly- 
catching  ,'(88 

Hermit 376 

Hooded  385 

Hooded  Flycatching ,385 

Kentucky ,381 

Lucy's 361 

Lutescent 368 

MacGillivray's ;^83 

Magnolia 300 

Mourning  ,'382 

Myrtle 367 

Nashville 302 

Orange-crowned 362 

Painted  Flycatching 388 

Parula 368 

Pileolated f '3 

Pine 377 

Pine-creeping 877 

Prairie 378 

Prothonotary 356 

Red-faced ,389 

Sennett's 365 

Summer 366 

Swainson's 357 

Tennessee 303 

Townsend'i  376 

Virginia's 361 

Yellow 366 

Yellow-crowned 367 

Yellow  Palm   877 

Yellow-rumped ,367 

Yellow-throated 373 

Wagtail 379 

Western  Black-capped 

Fly-catching 386 

Wilson's.. 386 

Worm-eating 858 

Warbling  Vireo 346 

Ward's  Heron 91 

Water  Pheasant 61 

Water  Turkey 52 

Water  Thrush 379 

Wax-wing,  Bohemian 341 

Carolina 342 

Cedar ,343 

Western  Barred  Owl 194 

Black-capped     Flycatch- 
ing Warbler  .386 

Bluebird 441 

Chipping  Sparrow 307 

Field  Sparrow 809 

Flycatcher 248 

Golden-crowned  Kinglet.  427 

Goshawk 171 

Grasshopper  Sparrow...  801 

Grebe 1 

Gull 26 

Horned  Owl 199 

Kingbird 289 


Xll 


INDEX. 


Page 

Weitern  Nighthawk 228 

Nonpareil !i38 

Red-tail 174 

Robin 438 

Sandpiper 117 

Savannah  Sparrow 299 

Tree  Sparrow 807 

Vesper  Sparrow 297 

Winter  Wren 408 

Wood  Pewee 248 

Yellow-bellied  Flycatcher  248 

Yellow-throat 884 

Wheatear 439 

Whimbrel 126 

Whip-poor-will 225 

Stephen's 226 

Whisky  Jack 2<t3 

Whistler 70 

Whistling  Sandpiper 122 

Swan 84 

White  Gannet 52 

Gyrfalcon 184 

Ibis 87 

Pelican,  American 58 

Wagtail 889 

Whiie-bellied  Swallow 340 

White-billed  Loon 6 

White-breasted  Nuthatch 411 

W'lite-cieasted  Cormorant 54 

W.iite-collared  Pigeon 154 

Vhitc  c/owned  Pigeon 155 

White-eyed  Vireo  ...; 352 

Towhee 825 

White-faced  Glossy  Ibis 88 

White-fronted  Dove 158 

Goose 79 

White-headed  Gull 30 

Jay 264 

Woodpecker 213 

White-necked  Raven 266 

White-rumped  Sandpiper 113 

Shrike 344 

White-tailed  Eagle 183 

Hawk 176 

Kite 165 

Longspur 296 

Ptarmigan 147 

White-throated  Brown  Towhee  828 

Sparrow 306 

White-winged  Black  Tern 89 

Coot 76 

Cross-bill 289 

Dove 158 


Pagb 

White-winged  Gull 24 

Scoter 78 

Whooping  Crane 07 

Swan 84 

Wigeon,  American 63 

Wild  Canary 291 

Pigeon 156 

Turkey 151 

Willet 128 

Williamson's  Sapsucker. 218 

Willow  Ptarmigan 148 

Thrush 483 

Wilson's  Phalarope 1U8 

Plover 183 

Snipe 110 

Stormy  Petrel IK 

Tern 85 

Thrush 432 

Warbler 888 

Winter  Chip-bird 307 

Wren 407 

Witch,  Black 204 

Wood  Duck 67 

Ibis 89 

Owl 193 

Partridge 142 

Pewee 245 

Stork,  American 89 

Thrush 432 

Woodcock,  American 109 

European 108 

Woodhouse's  Jay 261 

Woodpecker,  American  Three- 
toed 215 

Arctic  Three-toed 214 

Arizona 213 

Black-backed  Three-toed  214 

Californian 220 

Gairdner's 211 

Gila 222 

Golden-fronted 221 

Golden-winged 222 

Hairy 200 

Harris's 210 

Ivory-billed 209 

Ladder-backed 212 

Three-toed 215 

Lewis's 220 

Nuttall's 212 

Pileated 219 

Red-bellied 221 

Red-cockaded 211 

Red-headed 210 


Pagb 

Woodpecker,  Texan 212 

White-headed 218 

Yellow  bellied 216 

W  orm-eating  Warbler 868 

Wren,  Baird's 406 

Bewick's 405 

Cactus 401 

Canon ..  408 

Carolina 404 

Guadalupe  Rock 403 

House 406 

Long-billed  Marsh 409 

Long-tailed  House 405 

Parkman's 407 

Rock 402 

Short-billed  Marsh 408 

St.  Lucas  Cactus 402 

Tule 409 

Vigor's - 406 

Western  Winter 408 

Winter 407 

Wren-Tit 421 

Wright's  Flycatcher 251 

Xantus' Hummingbird 286 

Yellow  Crake 102 

Yellow-bellied  Flycatcher 247 

Sapsucker 215 

Woodpecker 215 

Yellow-billed  Cuckoo 206 

Loon 6 

Magpie 258 

Tropic  Bird 50^ 

Yellow-bird 201 

Yellow-breasted  Chat 384 

Yellow-crowned  Night  Heron..    96 

Yellow-hammer 222 

Yellow-headed  Blackbird 273 

Bush-Tit 424 

Yellow-nosed  Albatross 42 

Yellow  Palm  Warbler 377 

Yellow  Rail 102 

Yellow-shafted  Flicker 222 

Yellow-legs, 120 

Greater 119 

Yellow-throat,  Maryland 888 

Western 884 

Yellow-throated  Warbler 873 

Vireo 847 

Yellow  Warbler 866- 

Zenaida  Dove 167 

Zone-tailed  Hawk 176. 


Pack 

212: 

218 

216 

" 868 

(W6 

406 

401 

408 

404 

■^ 403 

406 

rsh 40& 

use 405 

407 

402 

rsh 408 

IS 402 

409 

40fl 

408 

407 

421 

251 

i 286 

102 

:her 247 

216 

215 

206 

6 

258    ^ 

5(K 

201 

384 

Heron..    96 

222 

rd 273 

424 

42 

377 

102 

222 

120 

119 

1 383 

384 

r 373 

847 

866 

157 

176 


I  jf   i|rii|i«.j«  K^u^Miiii 


■  r'l  iip.-miiini 


